Somaliland President Heads to Addis Ababa for Security and Economic Talks

Hargeisa, Somalia – The President of the Somaliland Administration, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro), is en route to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, for an official visit focused on security and economic cooperation, according to a statement from Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry, in a message published in Amharic, emphasized that the visit is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations between Somaliland and Ethiopia, particularly in the areas of regional security and economic development.

While no detailed itinerary has been released, diplomatic sources suggest that President Cirro is expected to hold meetings with senior Ethiopian officials to discuss shared interests and possible areas of collaboration.

The visit comes amid heightened geopolitical activity in the Horn of Africa, where both security alliances and trade partnerships are evolving rapidly.

In January 2024, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) granting Ethiopia 20 kilometers of sea access along the Red Sea coast. The deal, seen as a strategic economic lifeline for the landlocked country, sparked a sharp diplomatic backlash from the Somali federal government, which views Somaliland as a breakaway region.

The tensions were eventually defused following a mediation effort led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, culminating in a trilateral understanding reached late last year.

GAROWE ONLINE