Ethiopia and Somalia resolve diplomatic dispute

The diplomatic dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia that had led to tense regional relations has been resolved, Somalia's Foreign Minister says. According to BBC News, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi's statement, carried by state TV, said Somalia had made no concessions. Ethiopia has not commented on the Somali claim, but said the two countries had agreed to ‘strengthen bilateral relations’. The two neighbours had been at loggerheads since last January when landlocked Ethiopia signed a maritime deal with the breakaway Somaliland, which Somalia considers as part of its territory. Friday's statement follows a visit to Somalia by an Ethiopian delegation in the latest sign of détente after a Turkey-brokered deal announced last month. Led by Ethiopian Defence Minister Aisha Mohammed, the visit focused on the future of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia. Ethiopia has thousands of troops stationed in Somalia which are not part of the AU force and it has not been clear what role they will play in the future. In its statement, Ethiopia said the two countries had agreed to collaborate on the mission. A statement from Somalia's Foreign Ministry was a little more equivocal saying the country had ‘expressed its willingness to consider Ethiopia's request to contribute forces’ to the mission. Somalia had previously said it could expel Ethiopian troops over the Somaliland deal. Relations between the neighbours were so bad, there were fears a wider regional feud was brewing – with Ethiopia on one side and Egypt backing the Mogadishu Government. But as a result of Turkey's mediation, things have improved, with both countries agreeing to recognise each other's sovereignty.

Full BBC News report