Somalia Demands Ethiopia Cancel Somaliland Deal as Precondition for Talks

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The agreement with Somaliland must be revoked first before any constructive talks between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, Somalia said while defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty, which has been under threat in recent weeks.

Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, ruled out any formal engagement between Somalia and Ethiopia, noting that the agreement with Somaliland ought to be renounced first before the next decision is made on the relationship with Ethiopia.

Ethiopia had signed an MoU with Somaliland which grants it 20 kilometers of access to the Red Sea in exchange for recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, a move criticized by Somalia which insists that Somaliland remains its territory.

"This reckless move undermines Somalia's territorial integrity, and we see no indication that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is prepared to reverse course and engage in any meaningful dialogue to resolve the issue," Fiqi said.

In New York, Turkish Foreign Affairs minister Hakan Fidan met his Somalia and Ethiopian counterparts Moallim Fiqi and Taye Atske albeit separately, where they discussed the controversial agreement which is under scrutiny among members of the international community.

Efforts by Turkey to hold talks between the two countries have been frustrated with Somalia insisting on the withdrawal of the agreement. At the United Nations General Assembly, Somalia Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre reiterated the country's position in its relationship with Ethiopia.

"It's a paradox," Fiqi said. "On one hand, Ethiopian forces are here under the pretext of peacekeeping, supposedly supporting stability in Somalia. Yet, on the other hand, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government is actively violating our sovereignty through its backdoor agreements with Somaliland."

"We're still giving Ethiopia a chance to walk back from this reckless agreement," he said. "If they nullify it and restore the status quo before January 1st, there's room to talk."

Ethiopia is under pressure to quit the peacekeeping missions in Somalia after Mogadishu maintained that the new team dubbed the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) will be under the hands of Egypt.

GAROWE ONLINE