Addis Abeba– Gedion Timotheos, Ethiopia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Türkiye’s Deputy Foreign Minister Burhanettin Duran on Thursday, 06 February 2025, to discuss the upcoming technical negotiations on the implementation of the Ankara Declaration, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The Ministry stated that Gedion Timotheos welcomed a high-level delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, Burhanettin Duran, where the two sides “exchanged views on the technical aspects” of the declaration’s implementation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs added that Gedion “expressed Ethiopia’s commitment to the full implementation” of the agreement and thanked Türkiye for its role in facilitating the tripartite deal with Somalia.
The Ankara Declaration, signed in Ankara by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, reaffirmed “respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity,” according to the joint statement.
The agreement recognized the “potentially diverse benefits” of Ethiopia gaining “assured access to and from the sea” while emphasizing respect for “the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.” It also stated that the leaders agreed “to forgo and leave behind differences and contentious issues.”
The declaration outlines plans for technical negotiations on Ethiopia’s sea access, set to begin by February 2025 and conclude within four months. Both countries agreed “to closely work together to finalize mutually advantageous commercial arrangements” under Somalia’s sovereign authority.
The Ankara Declaration follows deteriorating relations between Ethiopia and Somalia earlier in 2024 after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland to lease 20 kilometers (12 miles) of coastline in exchange for recognizing Somaliland’s independence—a move Mogadishu called an “infringement on Somalia’s territorial sovereignty.”
Following the Ankara Declaration, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Ethiopia on January 11, 2025, where he agreed with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to restore full diplomatic ties and enhance regional security cooperation. The visit marked the end of a year-long diplomatic hiatus between the two countries.
In a joint communiqué, the two leaders committed to “restore and enhance their bilateral relations through full diplomatic representation in their respective capitals” and instructed their diplomatic missions in regional and multilateral forums to “closely cooperate on matters of mutual interest.” They also underscored the need for “strong cooperation” to address regional stability and agreed to coordinate efforts to foster shared progress and mutual understanding. AS
