Turkey is seeking to bring Horn of Africa rivals Somalia and Ethiopia together for a second round of talks in Ankara to ease tensions between them, Turkish media reported.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met separately with his counterparts from Somalia and Ethiopia on Monday. A Turkish diplomatic source said:
“The two sides are not meeting each other. The Turkish delegation is conducting shuttle diplomacy under the coordination of our minister.”
The two neighbours have long had a territorial feud. They fought two wars in the late 20th century. These tensions escalated significantly earlier this year when Addis Ababa signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland that gives Ethiopia, one of the world’s largest landlocked countries, long-awaited access to the sea.
Somaliland, which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, which was not recognised by Mogadishu, said in return that Ethiopia would give it official recognition, although these claims were not confirmed by Addis Ababa.
Under the treaty signed on January 1, Somaliland agreed to give 20 kilometres (12 miles) of its coastline on a 50-year lease to Ethiopia, which wants to establish a naval base and commercial port there.
Fidan said there had been “good progress” in the July talks and expressed hope for the future, speaking at a news conference alongside the foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also involved in diplomatic efforts to reconcile the two sides, holding separate telephone talks with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over the weekend.
Turkey is seeking diplomatic and economic influence in Africa at a time when many countries on the continent are turning their backs on their former colonial rulers. During Erdogan’s two decades in power, Ankara has consolidated its position on the continent, quadrupling the number of its embassies.
Turkey has already announced plans to begin oil and gas exploration off the coast of Somalia, similar to what it is doing in Libyan waters. Ankara has signed defence agreements with a number of states spanning the continent, including Somalia, Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana.
