Somalia says it will never accept Ethiopian naval base in Somaliland

FILE PHOTO: A Somali man reacts during a march against the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal along KM4 street in Mogadishu, Somalia January 11, 2024. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Somalia will never accept Ethiopia’s plan to build a naval base in its breakaway region of Somaliland, but it would consider granting Ethiopia commercial port access if discussed bilaterally, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs said on Friday.

FILE PHOTO: Somalis march against the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal along KM4 street in Mogadishu, Somalia January 11, 2024. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo

Landlocked Ethiopia sparked a diplomatic row with Mogadishu in January by signing a deal with Somaliland to lease 20 km (12 miles) of its coastline in return for recognising the region as an independent state.

FILE PHOTO: A Somali woman carries their flag during a march against the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal along KM4 street in Mogadishu, Somalia January 11, 2024. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo

Somalia called the deal illegal as it considers Somaliland as part of its territory even though it has had effective autonomy since 1991.

“Somalia will never accept (a) naval base … Somalia is ready for commercial access in accordance with the international law of the sea,” Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs Ali Omar told Reuters.

He added that Somalia was willing to discuss proposals so long as they meet the country’s interests which are to “safeguard (our) sovereignty, political independence and unity”.

(Reporting by Giulia Paravicini; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Alexander Winning)