'Foster cooperation, security:' Ethiopian media hails Ankara Declaration with Somalia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Ethiopian media on Thursday widely praised an agreement with neighboring Somalia, brokered by Türkiye, emphasizing its potential to strengthen regional cooperation and improve security in the Horn of Africa.

The landmark Ankara Declaration received nationwide coverage across state-owned and private media outlets on print, broadcast, and online platforms, marking it as a historic milestone in bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Somalia.

State-owned outlets including the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), Fana Broadcasting Corporate (FBC), and Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), along with private media organizations such as the Ethiopian Reporter, Addis Standard, and Addis Maleda, provided extensive coverage of the accord that ended nearly a year of tensions between the two sides.

Analysts and commentators have noted the declaration’s potential to foster cooperation, enhance regional security, and contribute to long-term development and stability in the Horn of Africa.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Ankara on Wednesday before the three leaders announced the pact.

“We have taken the first step toward a new beginning based on peace, cooperation between Somalia, Ethiopia,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference in the Turkish capital.

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

The two East African countries have been at odds since Ethiopia struck a deal with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland on Jan. 1 to use its Red Sea port of Berbera. Türkiye has been working to end tensions between the two countries.

However, after their meeting with Erdogan in Ankara, Somalia and Ethiopia affirmed each other's sovereignty, unity and independence in a joint statement, called as Ankara declaration, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

The leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia “reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, as well as the principles enshrined in international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitutive Act of the African Union," it added.

"They agreed, within a spirit of friendship and mutual respect, to forgo and leave behind differences and contentious issues and forge ahead in a cooperative manner to pursue shared prosperity."