Somaliland Insists To Finalize Red Sea Access Deal with Ethiopia Amid Regional Tensions

HARGEISA, Somalia - The breakaway region of Somaliland maintains the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia on the access to the Red Sea has been finalized, noting that only a legal agreement remains to be finalized by both sides.

The regional minister for Foreign Affairs and international relations Essa Kayd revealed the progress to diplomats in Hargeisa, the regional administrative capital, terming the development as 'significant and imminent'.

A few months ago, Kayd had said the implementation of the agreement was on course, adding that only a few parts were being finalized. A team of international legal experts and a high-level advisory team are working on the agreement.

Although Ethiopia has since been largely quiet about any practical progress on the MoU, in a resolution issued in January, members of both the Executive and the Central Committee of the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) said that the party has decided to bring the MoU “to a practical agreement”.

In the meantime, the PP said it was giving attention to the principles of give and take to secure additional options to port access with other neighboring countries, Addis Standard reports. The ruling party maintained the MoU was a testament to “Ethiopia’s position for regional economic and cultural ties.”

Somalia maintains signing the agreement that grants Ethiopia 20 kilometers of access to the Red Sea violates international laws and the country's sovereignty. Somalia has contested the move.

Already, Turkey has initiated mediation between the two countries but the talks have collapsed, with Somalia insisting on the revocation of the agreement. Somalia has gone ahead to sign defense pacts with Egypt and Turkey geared towards protecting its sovereignty.

On Wednesday, Dr. Kayd also expressed the Somaliland government’s deep concerns regarding the presence of Egyptian military forces in neighboring Somalia. The Egyptian government has vowed to defend Somalia from external aggression.

Last week, Ethiopia contested the ongoing process of folding the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), arguing that the transition to a new peace support mission is “fraught with dangers” to the region.

Ethiopia also warned that it “cannot stand idle while other actors are taking measures to destabilize the region.” Ethiopia is vigilantly monitoring developments in the region that could threaten its national security, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Internally, Somalia’s decision to call for the complete withdrawal of Ethiopian troops has triggered mixed reactions with the Southwest region terming the move as a strategy to “bring the ‘Nile issue’ to Somalia” and potentially “lead to a war in the Horn of Africa.”

Dr. Kayd told the diplomatic mission today that the deployment of Egyptian forces in Somalia “is contributing to proxy conflicts in the region.”

Earlier today, Dr. Kayd announced that the Somaliland government “has decided to permanently close the “Egyptian Cultural Library” in Hargeisa due to serious security concerns. All staff have been ordered to leave the country within 72 hours, Addis Standard adds.

GAROWE ONLINE