Somaliland is ready to discuss arrangements for Ethiopia to access its coastline and use the port of Berbera, Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adan Bakal said, according to a report published on 12 October.
Horn Diplomat, reporting from Hargeisa, said Abdirahman described Ethiopia as a close ally whose maritime needs Somaliland understands. The remarks were made in an interview with Sky News Arabia in Abu Dhabi, the outlet said. The report was also carried by the aggregator AllAfrica.
Sea access has been a central aim of Ethiopian foreign policy. Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea's independence in 1993 and relies on ports in Djibouti for most of its foreign trade.
In January 2024 Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland seeking sea access. Somalia rejected the memorandum as a violation of its sovereignty. Turkey mediated the Ankara Declaration between Ethiopia and Somalia in December 2024.
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Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not received broad international recognition.
In an editorial published before the interview, Horn Diplomat reported that at a meeting in Egypt's New Al-Alamein City on 4 October, the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia issued a joint statement backing Somalia's territorial claims over Somaliland and rejecting recognition of Somaliland.
