Marking a significant transformation in East Africa’s geopolitical dynamics, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara on December 11, 2024, demonstrating Turkiye’s increasing role as a key diplomatic player in Africa[1]. Following almost seven hours of discussions, the outcome document — “Ankara Declaration” — appeared to achieve notable success in resolving the dispute of Ethiopia’s unexpected Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, the self-declared republic in Somalia, in January 2024.[2] According to the January 2024 MoU, Ethiopia planned to secure commercial access and establish a naval base at Somaliland’s strategically important Berbera port on the Red Sea, based upon Ethiopia’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state.[3]
