Ethiopia, Somalia Agree on Various Issues of Mutual, regional Concern

Addis Ababa September 30/2022 (ENA) Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have discussed various mutual and regional concerns ranging from collaboration to overcoming threats of terrorism and extremism to bilateral economic cooperation, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

According to the joint communique issued today, leaders of the two countries have agreed to nurture and strengthen the longstanding bilateral ties and relationships between the two countries and peoples based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty.

They also paid tribute to the gallant Ethiopian Defense Forces, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for peace, stability and nation building in Somalia.

They reiterated their resolve to effectively collaborate in the fight against common enemy, terrorism and extremism and directed their respective security agencies to strengthen existing mechanisms of cooperation and exchange intelligence.

Moreover, they emphasized the need to work together, minimize the effects of undue external interferences that could potentially undermine their joint effort for peace and stability in the region and effectively combat terrorism.

To this effect, they have agreed to hold regular bilateral consultations and to collaborate in multilateral and regional forums to promote their common national interests on the basis of mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries.

The leaders noted that the two countries and the sub-region at large are facing recurrent drought and other multifaceted natural disasters induced by climate change, threatening the livelihoods of the peoples of the region, and emphasized the imperative to collaborate and the need to redouble efforts to overcome these challenges.

They also called upon international partners to continue to support affected communities including in the area of building long term livelihood resilience.

The leaders agreed to increase scholarships and trainings granted by Ethiopia for the civil servants and security forces of Somalia with a view to enhancing the implementation capacity of government agencies.

Furthermore, both leaders emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation in the areas of trade, economy and infrastructure as well as communications in addition to the well-established political and security collaborations.

They have also directed the respective government offices to hold the Joint Ministerial Commission in rotating manner in the soonest possible time, to discuss and set directions and implementation mechanisms on issues of mutual interest.

The Leaders called upon the UNSC to consider the request of Somalia for the lifting of the arms embargo imposed on the country for more than 30 years to ensure that Somalia is sufficiently equipped to effectively address the security threat posed by the Al Shabab terrorist groups.