The Somali president reveals the reason for the failure of his country's talks with Ethiopia

The Somali president reveals the reason for the failure of his country's talks with Ethiopia

 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud expressed his disappointment at the lack of progress in the talks that took place in Ankara with Turkish mediation. Speaking yesterday evening, Monday, in Mogadishu, President Mahmoud confirmed that there are no signs indicating that Ethiopia is ready to reconsider the controversial memorandum of understanding.

“There are no indications yet that the Ethiopians are backing down from this path,” he said, highlighting the fundamental issue that hindered progress during the first round of talks. The president revealed that it was Ethiopia that requested Türkiye's mediation in the talks. He admitted that Ethiopia showed no signs of canceling the memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, which ultimately led to the failure of the first round of talks.

The president explained that the two delegations will return to their capitals for further consultations before the second round of talks scheduled to be held on September 2, 2024 in Ankara. The memorandum of understanding signed on January 1, 2024 between Ethiopia and the separatist region was a point of contention between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, which considers the agreement a violation of Somali sovereignty.