Türkiye says Ethiopia, Somalia reach compromise deal to end feud

Somalia and Ethiopia have reached a deal to end a nearly year-old dispute following hours of Turkish-brokered talks in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.

Hailing it as a "historic agreement", Erdogan said he hoped the deal would be "the first step towards a new beginning based on peace and cooperation between Somalia and Ethiopia".

According to the text of the agreement released by Türkiye, the parties agreed "to leave behind differences of opinion and contentious issues, and resolutely move forward in cooperation towards common prosperity".

They agreed to work closely together on commercial arrangements and bilateral agreements that would ensure Ethiopia's "reliable, safe and sustainable access" to the sea "under the sovereign authority of the Federal Republic of Somalia".

Türkiye has been mediating between the two sides since July, leading discussions aimed at resolving their differences, but the two previous rounds of talks in Ankara had failed to produce any tangible progress.