Somalia claims Eritrea’s support in row with Ethiopia over port deal

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Tuesday that his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki has supported Mogadishu’s unity and territorial integrity as tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over a port deal continue.

Mohamud, who has been in the Eritrean capital Asmara for a two-day state visit, said he briefed his counterpart about the situation in Somalia.

“Our region is a very volatile region. I just came to share with him the perspectives of Somalia about the region,” Mohamud told Eritrean state TV after his meeting with Afwerki, adding that Asmara supports “the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Somalia.”

According to a statement issued by the Eritrean Information Ministry on Tuesday, the two leaders also held talks on bilateral, regional and international issues.

Mohamud’s visit to Eritrea comes nine days after Ethiopia signed a sea access deal with Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland without the approval of Somalia’s central government.

Somalia has rejected Ethiopia's Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, calling it “illegitimate,” a threat to good neighborliness and a violation of its sovereignty. It also recalled its ambassador to Ethiopia after the deal was announced.

The Ethiopian government has defended its decision to sign the deal, saying the agreement with Somaliland “will affect no party or country.”

The deal gives Ethiopia the opportunity to obtain a permanent and reliable naval base and commercial maritime service in the Gulf of Aden.

Ethiopia lost its Red Sea ports in the early 1990s after the Eritrean War of Independence, which lasted from 1961 to 1991.

In 1991, Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia, leading to the establishment of two separate nations.

The separation resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the Red Sea and key ports.