Turkish-mediated pact a 3-way win for Somalia, Ethiopia, Ankara: Regional experts

MOGADISHU, Somalia

The Turkish-mediated pact between Somalia and Ethiopia was an "icebreaker" move as well as a three-way win for all sides, regional experts told Anadolu on Thursday.

Adam Aw Hirsi, Somalia’s former state minister for the environment and climate change, told Anadolu that the pact is a win for his country as it solidifies the sovereignty of its territory and deescalates tensions with a neighbor whose fate is tied up with Mogadishu’s.

The pact provides a graceful opportunity for Ethiopia to "walk back from the brink with a neighbor that would go to great lengths to protect its territorial integrity," said Hirsi, currently director of foresight for Practical Solutions, a Mogadishu-based think tank.

“It is also a win for Türkiye as it solidifies its image as a serious player on the global stage," he said.

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations, but with Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.

Somalia and Ethiopia have been at odds since Ethiopia struck a deal this January with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland to use its Red Sea port of Berbera. Türkiye has been working to resolve these tensions.

“We have taken the first step toward a new beginning based on peace and cooperation between Somalia and Ethiopia,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced at a joint press conference Wednesday in Ankara after hosting his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

'Icebreaker' pact as Erdogan 'outmaneuvered' differences between 2 parties, says expert

Anwar Abdifatah Bashir, a political activist based in the Somali capital Mogadishu and Nairobi, Kenya, told Anadolu that Erdogan "outmaneuvered” the countries’ differences and was able to get the two African leaders to reach "some sort of agreement."

The Ankara Declaration was "an icebreaker as the two countries were hesitant to have direct talks," said Bashir, founder and executive director of the East African Institute for Peace and Governance.

"Somalia’s initial plan was not to have any face-to-face talks with Ethiopia unless and until Addis retracted the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland," he said, adding that eventually this barrier was overcome.

He also noted: “Türkiye’s growing interest in the Horn of Africa is (being) realized as Ankara is the second-largest investor in Ethiopia, also Türkiye has the largest overseas military base in Somalia. President Erdogan outmaneuvered their differences and urged them to have some sort of agreement.”