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Somalia rejects 'annexation attempt', says commercial port access possible for Ethiopia

A file picture of Ali Omar Balad, Somalia's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. (Photo: X/ Anadolu English)

By Amina Wako | 02 Mar 2024

Ali Omar Balad, Somalia's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, affirms their stance against annexation but says they are willing to cooperate with Ethiopia on commercial access.

Somalia is willing to arrange commercial port access for Ethiopia, a government official has said, amid a quest for the peaceful resolution of the conflict with Ethiopia over its sea access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Ali Omar Balad, Somalia's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said this on Saturday in an exclusive interview with Anadolu on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

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Tensions surround Ethiopia and Somaliland's January 1, 2024, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which would grant Ethiopia access to the Red Sea for commercial and military use, with Somaliland getting recognition as an independent state and a possible stake in the national Ethiopian Airlines.

The deal has strained relations between Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, with the former saying he must protect his country's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the latter emphasising the need to cater to the needs of populations in a landlocked country.

In the interview, Ali noted that Somalia expected to build better relations with Ethiopia after years of disputes but the MoU dashed all hopes for this.

He spoke firmly against annexation attempts but emphasised Somalia's willingness to cooperate with Ethiopia on commercial access.

"That (annexation) is something that we will not accept. This is something Somalia will never accept. Somalia and Ethiopia have had enough trouble in the past. I hope we will not go back to that state. Somalia will never accept such an attempt to annex part of Somalia," he said.

He added, "If Ethiopia wants to have commercial access, we are more than willing. If Ethiopia wants to comply with international rules and regulations, there are several that oversee the way landlocked countries access the sea."

Abiy has said in the past that he is not attempting annexation and does not wish to harm Somalia in its quest for sea access.

Ali further clarified that Somalia's recent defence and economic cooperation deal with Turkey was unrelated to the dispute with Ethiopia. He highlighted Turkey's potential role as a mediator, citing the country's good relations with Addis Ababa.

The minister also noted that the Turkey-Somalia defence and economic cooperation agreement is mutually beneficial and stressed the significance of economic investment to establish a maritime security force, essential to protect Somalia's maritime resources.

"We need to find a way to secure our maritime [territory]. Turkey is helping us to build a maritime security force," he said.

President Hassan signed the ratified Defence and Economic Cooperation Agreement with Turkey on February 22, 2024, praising it as a "new chapter in our nation's journey towards a secure and prosperous future".

The February 8, 2024 agreement will see Turkey train and provide equipment to the Somali Navy, helping Mogadishu protect its maritime resources and territorial waters from threats such as terrorism, piracy and foreign interference.

In a televised address on the day of the signing, the Somali leader noted that the deal is not aimed at confronting Ethiopia or invading any other country.