Somalia President to visit Addis Ababa for talks on Somalia-Ethiopia relations..

Somalia President will travel to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today for bilateral discussions to re-enhance relations between the neighboring countries, the President and Prime Minister are expected to focus on a range of critical issues, including implementing the Ankara Agreement and Ethiopia’s role in the new peacekeeping mission in Somalia…

This visit marks President Hassan Sheikh’s first trip to Addis Ababa since February 17, 2023, when he attended the 37th African Union Summit. That visit was overshadowed by allegations from Somali officials, who claimed that Ethiopian security forces attempted to restrict the president’s movements, forcing him to join the convoy of Djibouti’s president to leave his hotel.

The two neighbouring countries in the Horn of Africa have seen tensions escalate since Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland to lease a stretch of its coastline for an Ethiopian port and military base in exchange for diplomatic recognition.

Diplomatic efforts, including Turkey’s Ankara Declaration in December 2024, played a pivotal role in easing tensions. The agreement reaffirmed Somalia’s territorial integrity while granting Ethiopia conditional access to Somali ports, balancing Ethiopia’s economic interests with Somalia’s sovereignty concerns.