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The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Somaliland announced that it has made a noteworthy advancement towards receiving international recognition.
The Ministry also mentioned that Somaliland has formed a State Recognition Taskforce at the ministerial level to plan and work towards gaining recognition. It was also mentioned that this decision is in line with the government’s continuous diplomatic efforts, including the recent Memorandum of Understanding with Ethiopia for sea access.
Somaliland takes a significant step towards international recognition today. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a Ministerial Level State recognition Taskforce to strategize and pursue recognition efforts. (1/2) #Somaliland #Diplomacy #Recognition pic.twitter.com/IyDLowNqOo
— MFA Somaliland (@somalilandmfa) August 1, 2024
Ethiopia and Somaliland entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 01 January 2024, which allows Ethiopia to access the sea in exchange for providing international recognition to Somaliland.
The ruling Prosperity Party (PP) announced in January that it had made the decision to bring the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that Ethiopia signed with Somaliland “to a practical agreement” while simultaneously paying attention to the principles of give and take to secure additional options for port access with other neighboring countries in a resolution that was issued at the conclusion of four days of meetings by members of both the Executive and the Central Committee.
The agreement with Somaliland, according to the ruling party, demonstrates “Ethiopia’s position for regional economic and cultural ties.”
In February, Somaliland announced that it was “on course without any wavering, and remain seized” of the implementation of the MoU and that it had appointed a high-level advisory group and a technical team of international legal experts to advise and guide the process.
Following declarations of disapproval from Egypt and the other Arab League members, Ethiopian officials formally retaliated against those who disapproved of the MoU, all the while upholding their position to see through the agreement.
Since then, though, Ethiopia has not provided an update on the status of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which has sparked criticism from the neighboring Somalian government and ensuing diplomatic disputes.