The Ethiopian government has announced its intention to implement the agreement previously signed by the President of Somaliland and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, which involved Ethiopia recognizing Somaliland and it providing it with a port and naval base.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Government of Ethiopia, Tarekegn Bululta, stated that Ethiopia would become the first country to officially recognize the self-declared republic of Somaliland.
In a statement released by the minister, he expressed confidence that his country would soon recognize Somaliland, indicating their readiness to fulfill the terms of the MoU agreement reached by both sides.
Minister Tarekegn Bululta also said that the Ethiopian government’s allies in the economic and military fields will agree with the decision of Ethiopia to recognize Somaliland.
The Somali government strongly opposes Ethiopia’s desire to acquire a Somali-owned maritime territory, and the former government has taken diplomatic measures against the Ethiopia-Somaliland agreement.
Somali Minister of Defense Abdukhadir Mohamed Noor menwhile said Ethiopia cannot take an inch of Somali territory, describing Addis Ababa’s MoU with the Somaliland region as a daydream.
Responding to the recent statement by Ethiopia’s cabinet members about the MoU, Minister Noor emphasized that the ministers are spreading misinformation, which will not harm the Somali government.
“Misleading messages on social media from Ethiopia’s ministers are a nightmare. Ethiopia knows that it cannot take an inch of Somali territory. When someone dreams while awake, the outcome is predictable,” said Somalia’s Defense Minister Abdukhadir Mohamed Noor.
Relations between Ethiopia and Somalia have been strained since Ethiopia signed an MoU with Somaliland on January 1, 2024. The agreement, which grants Ethiopia sea access and allows for establishing a military base in Somaliland, was seen by Somalia as a violation of its sovereignty.
