HARGEISA (Kaab TV) – Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdillahi Irro traveled to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on Tuesday, marking his first official visit to the neighboring country since his election victory in November last year.
A spokesperson for the Somaliland presidency, Hussein Aden Egeh, said Irro is expected to conduct an official working visit to Ethiopia.
“This visit carries significant diplomatic objectives, aimed at strengthening historic ties, strategic cooperation, and key mutual interests between the two countries, particularly in the areas of security, economy, trade, and mobility,” Egeh added.
President Irro is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Presidency, Finance, Public Works, and Investment; the Chief of the National Army; and the Director of the National Intelligence Agency.
Sources told Kaab TV that President Irro is scheduled to hold discussions with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on a range of issues, including intelligence sharing, defense cooperation, and economic opportunities.
Last year, Ethiopia signed a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Somaliland, allowing Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea and the establishment of a military base in exchange for Hargeisa receiving international recognition.
However, due to diplomatic tensions with Somalia’s federal government in Mogadishu, Ethiopia later backtracked on the MoU. Sources now indicate that Abiy Ahmed and Abdirahman Irro may revisit the agreement during this visit.
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was in Addis Ababa just on Sunday in what many observers describe as an effort to lobby against Irro’s visit.
Ethiopia plays a major role in Somalia’s security, participating in peacekeeping operations primarily through the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).