Norway thanks Turkey for facilitating pact to end Somalia-Ethiopia conflict

LONDON - Norway on Friday welcomed the declaration agreed in Ankara between Ethiopia and Somalia, and thanked Türkiye for its facilitation.

"We hope this agreement will contribute to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Horn of Africa," Norway's Foreign Ministry said on X.

After meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, the leaders of Somalia and Ethiopia in a joint statement called the Ankara Declaration "reaffirmed their respect and commitment to one another’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity."

The ministry added: "Norway supports the ongoing dialogue and thanks Türkiye for its facilitation."

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, forming two separate nations, but Ethiopia lost direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.

Somalia and Ethiopia have been at odds since Ethiopia struck a deal this January with Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland to use its Red Sea port of Berbera. Türkiye has been working to resolve these tensions.