Türkiye hosted the first round of technical negotiations between Somalia and Ethiopia as part of the Ankara Process.
The talks were facilitated by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and attended by delegations led by Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Dr. Gedion Timothewos and Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar.
During the negotiations, both delegations reaffirmed their commitment to the principles outlined in the Ankara Declaration and took initial steps toward transforming their shared vision into concrete actions for sustainable and mutually beneficial development.
Both sides also expressed appreciation for Türkiye’s continued support in facilitating dialogue and preparing the groundwork for the next round of technical negotiations, scheduled for March 2025.
The discussions followed the Ankara Declaration, adopted on Dec.11, 2024, under the leadership of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
According to the Ethiopia-Somalia Ankara Declaration, the two parties decided to launch technical negotiations facilitated by Türkiye by the end of February 2025 and conclude them within four months. They also agreed to abandon differences of opinion and contentious issues and to move decisively toward common prosperity.
The two countries affirmed respect for Somalia’s territorial integrity while recognizing potential benefits Ethiopia may gain from secure access to the sea.
