Turkish President Erdogan to visit Ethiopia, Somalia in 2025
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Turkish President Erdogan announced plans to visit Ethiopia and Somalia in early 2025 following Turkiye's successful mediation of a historic peace agreement between the two nations.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following their meeting at Dolmabahce palace in Istanbul, Turkiye, March 8, 2024. (AP)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye's president, said Sunday that he will visit Ethiopia and Somalia in the first two months of next year.
Following a significant agreement negotiated by Turkiye that ended nearly a year of hostilities between the two African states over marine access to the Red Sea, Erdogan stated on Saturday that the breakthrough occurred after "a meeting that lasted seven hours."
Last week, Erdogan praised the Somalian president and Ethiopian prime minister for attaining "historic reconciliation with great dedication" during Ankara-mediated peace talks aimed at resolving their dispute over the breakaway Somaliland region.
"Thanks to their cooperation, we signed [the deal] and finished the job," Erdogan said at a youth gathering in the eastern region of Erzurum.
He added that he would visit Ethiopia and Somalia "in the first two months of next year and we will announce this step we have taken to the world."
When asked about Turkiye's involvement in signing the statement, Erdogan said that Ankara's good links with both sides had enabled it to make headway with mediation efforts when others could not.
He explained "This problem between Somalia and Ethiopia has been going on for many years. Ethiopia is a huge place, twice the size of Somalia, but it is landlocked."
Erdogan emphasized that "The fact that a place with such a large and gigantic land is landlocked seriously disturbs them. Many countries have been involved in this issue until today, but they have not been able to solve this issue."
Erdogan expressed delight in the Ankara Declaration, saying, "This is how we announced a beautiful future to Africa, we announced it to the whole world," adding that "When we are sincere when our intentions are good, everything can happen."
