EU reaffirms its support for sovereignty, territorial integrity of Somalia

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell reaffirmed the bloc's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia in a phone call Thursday with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

"I reaffirmed the full support of the EU for the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Somalia. The Horn of Africa doesn’t need more tensions," Borrell wrote on X.

Earlier this week, the EU issued a statement stressing the importance of respecting Somalia's territorial integrity and sovereignty after its breakaway region of Somaliland signed a controversial deal with Ethiopia.

On Monday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on granting Ethiopia access to the Red Sea through the port of Berbera in Somaliland.

Somalia rejected the deal, calling it a threat to good neighborliness and a violation of its sovereignty.

Abiy's office hailed the pact as "historic," saying it is "intended to serve as a framework for the multisectoral partnership between the two sides."

Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.

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.

Ethiopia has since been landlocked, affecting its ability to conduct efficient maritime trade.