Ethiopia, Somalia Reaffirm Commitment to Continuing Efforts to Achieve Shared Development, Peace

Addis Ababa December 24/2024 (ENA)— Somalia's State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ali Omar, emphasized the continued collaborative efforts between Ethiopia and Somalia to realize shared development and peace.

This reaffirmation comes as a high-level Somali delegation concludes a working visit to Ethiopia, focused on bolstering bilateral relations in the wake of the Ankara Agreement.

Ethiopia's State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Misganu Arga reiterated Ethiopia's unwavering commitment to fully implement the Ankara Declaration.

A Somali delegation, led by State Minister Ali Omar, engaged in discussions with Ambassador Misganu Arga, marking the first such visit since the signing of the Ankara Agreement. The discussions centered on mechanisms for translating the accord into tangible progress.

State Minister Omar characterized the discussions with Ambassador Misganu as “fruitful,” emphasizing the importance of this initial visit following the Ankara agreement, stating, “…it is time now to look forward and not backward to overcome those historical issues and move forward.”

He further articulated the potential for mutually beneficial economic cooperation, noting, “I think Somalia has the longest coastal area and Ethiopia has the biggest market. I think Somalia is always and will be willing to have a commercial access to Ethiopia at any moment and anywhere that they desire to.”

 

Omar also highlighted the significance of direct engagement between the two nations, stating, “For now, I think we created the condition of working together, directly together, without a third party mediating us. And we hope to continue that way, because we will be the ones who will benefit the most from a stable Somalia and a stable Ethiopia.”

He further confirmed that specific details regarding commercial access would be addressed in upcoming technical meetings, stating, “ those will be discussed in the upcoming meeting of February.”

Ambassador Misganu shared the sentiment of constructive dialogue and future collaboration, affirming Ethiopia’s commitment to continue engagement with the Somali government.

 

He added “We need to work for the prosperity, regional integration, through economic cooperation, through partnership. So it was very much a constructive discussion and we agreed to continue this dialogue in a constructive way in the future.”

He further announced forthcoming high-level meetings: “In the very near future, we will have again another round of, a series of round of meetings to develop our bilateral relation.”

State Minister Misganu also underscored the shared security concerns of both nations, reiterating Ethiopia's commitment to collaborative efforts in combating terrorism, particularly the threat posed by Al-Shabaab.

He asserted that “Ethiopia will continue to work collaboratively with the Somali government to fight against Al-Shabaab. This is a common security challenge for the region.”

Both sides characterized the discussions as productive and grounded on mutual understanding, with Ethiopia reaffirming its dedication to fostering regional economic integration and robust cooperation.