The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia’s breakaway enclave of Somaliland has insisted that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopia over a port deal will go as planned shortly.
While providing updates on significant regional issues to the international diplomatic missions in Hargeisa, capital of the enclave, on Wednesday its Minister of Foreign Affairs Essa Kayd said the port deal “is finalised, and a formal legal agreement is imminent.”
In a resolution issued in January, members of both the Executive and the Central Committee of the ruling Prosperity Party (PP) of Ethiopia said that the party has decided to bring the MoU to practical agreement.
Kayd said Somaliland is “on course and remains seized” on the implementation of the MoU, noting that a technical, legal advisory team has been appointed to oversee implementation of the MoU.
The signing of the MoU on 01 January 2024, granting Ethiopia access to the sea in return for international recognition for Somaliland, has escalated tensions with neighbouring Somalia, which argued that the deal violates its territorial integrity.
During the briefing, Kayd expressed the Somaliland government’s deep concerns regarding the presence of Egyptian military forces in Somalia.
In July this year, Somalia’s cabinet formally approved the implementation of a defense agreement with Egypt, finalizing a deal shrouded in secrecy since its signing in January 2024.
MG/as/APA