2024-04-16 02:31:51
Mogadishu announced that it will not accept Ethiopia’s plan to build a naval base in the Somaliland region.
According to Reuters, Somali Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar told Reuters: “Somalia will never accept Ethiopia’s plan to build a naval base in the Somaliland region, but it will consider granting Ethiopia access to commercial ports if the matter is discussed bilaterally.”
He added: “Before discussing access to ports bilaterally, Ethiopia must cancel its agreement with Somaliland,” saying: “Somalia will never accept a naval base.”
The Somali Minister of State continued: “Somalia is ready to access ports in accordance with the international law of the sea, and is also ready to discuss proposals as long as they meet the country’s interests, which are to protect our sovereignty, political independence and unity.”
Ethiopia, which has no sea ports, sparked a diplomatic dispute with Mogadishu last January, when it signed an agreement with Somaliland to lease 20 kilometers of its coast in exchange for recognizing the region as an independent state. Somalia described the agreement as illegal because it considers Somaliland part of its territory even though it… It has enjoyed effective autonomy since 1991.
A Kenyan official said, “In order to defuse the tension, Kenya, in consultation with Djibouti and the Intergovernmental Authority for the Development of East African States, proposed (finding) a maritime treaty that would govern how landlocked countries in the region can access ports on commercial terms.”
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2024-04-16 02:31:51