site.btaUPDATED Ethiopia and Somalia Continue Turkiye-Brokered Talks in Ankara, Progress Is Reported

In Ankara Tuesday, delegations of Ethiopia and Somalia continued indirect talks brokered by Turkiye, in a bid to resolve the dispute between the two countries, the Turkish news media reported. The two sides, who were at the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Monday, did not meet face-to-face, Foreign Ministry sources said, stressing that Turkish officials were engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" coordinated by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Foreign Minister Fidan said after the talks that the two sides made remarkable process, the international news media reported. The Ethiopian and Somali officials broadened the number and scope of issues they discussed, and were able to focus on details and technical aspects of concrete steps.

On Monday, Hakan Fidan met separately with his Ethiopian counterpart and his Somali counterpart.

It was initially announced that there could be a trilateral meeting.

The aim of the talks is to allow Ethiopia access to international waters through Somalia, but without violating Somalia's territorial sovereignty. A trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers first took place on July 1 in the Turkish capital under the auspices of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. On August 3, Fidan travelled to Ethiopia where he met his Ethiopian counterpart and the country's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

In January, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland over access to the sea, pledging to recognize the independence of that territory, which unilaterally separated from Somalia. This agreement sparked a new crisis between the two East African neighbours, which have twice had serious clashes in the past century.