UPDATE - Germany, UK welcome Ethiopia-Somalia agreement, praise Türkiye’s mediation

UPDATE WITH STATEMENT FROM UK, CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN/ISTANBUL (AA)— Germany and the UN welcomed an agreement reached on Thursday between Ethiopia and Somalia to resolve their territorial and maritime disputes through Türkiye's mediation.

“The Ankara Declaration between Ethiopia and Somalia facilitated by Türkiye is an important step forward towards more stability for the people in the Horn of Africa,” the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on X. “We encourage further negotiations in a spirit of trusted partnership.”

In a separate statement, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office also welcomed the Ethiopia-Somalia agreement reached in Ankara on Wednesday.

"The UK welcomes the agreement reached in Ankara on 11 December between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Federal Republic of Somalia, reaffirming their commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity," the statement said.

"The UK supports all steps to promote cooperation, stability, development, and shared prosperity in the Horn of Africa," it added.

London also commended Türkiye's role in facilitating the talks, saying, “We welcome Türkiye’s mediation and the participation from all sides, which has led to this agreement.”

As a "long-standing partner in the region," the UK reaffirmed its commitment to promoting regional peace and development with Ethiopia and Somalia, including Somaliland.

“The UK will continue to work closely with Ethiopia and Somalia, including Somaliland, in the pursuit of these objectives,” the statement concluded.

The dispute began when Ethiopia struck a deal with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland in January to use its Red Sea port of Berbera. Türkiye has since worked to ease tensions between the two East African nations.

The agreement was reached during talks in Ankara on Wednesday, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

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

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.”