Landlocked Ethiopia has taken the first steps to gain access to the sea, signing an agreement in the capital Addis Ababa with the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland for access to Somaliland's coast
From
OMAR FARUK Associated Press
January 1, 2024, 5:01 p.m. ET
• 2 min reading
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Landlocked Ethiopia took the first steps toward sea access on Monday, signing an agreement in the capital Addis Ababa with the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland for access to Somaliland's coast.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi.
As part of the deal, Somaliland plans to lease a 20-kilometer stretch of land along its coast to Ethiopia to build a naval base there, Abdi said at the signing.
With an estimated population of over 120 million, Ethiopia is the most populous landlocked country in the world.
The agreement strengthens the security, economic and political partnership between Ethiopia and Somaliland, said a statement from the Ethiopian Prime Minister's Office.
Somaliland's President Abdi said the agreement included a declaration that Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent country in the near future.
Somaliland seceded from Somalia more than 30 years ago but is not recognized as an independent state by either the African Union or the United Nations. Somalia still considers Somaliland part of its territory, and officials there responded quickly.
“Somalia is indivisible. “Its sovereignty and territorial integrity are inviolable,” said Abdirizak Omar Mohamed, Somalia’s minister of petroleum and mineral resources.
Somalia posted on the social media platform “X”, formerly Twitter: “Ethiopia knows full well that it cannot sign a military pact/declaration of intent to lease a port with the regional head of state – this mandate is the prerogative of the federal government.” Somalia. “
Somali state media said in a post on social media that the Somali cabinet would meet on Tuesday to discuss the agreement between Somaliland and Ethiopia.
Somalia and Somaliland reached an agreement on Friday in Djibouti to strengthen cooperation in the areas of security and the fight against organized crime.
When Eritrea seceded in 1993, Ethiopia lost its access to the sea. Ethiopia uses the port in neighboring Djibouti for the majority of its imports and exports.