Reports now say Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declined to engage talks with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
According to credible sources from the ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ethiopian Prime Minister sought an audience with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to resolve the current diplomatic tension between the two countries.
However, the sources added that the President said he will enter talks with the Ethiopian Premier on the condition of cancellation of the controversial port deal with Somaliland.
This significant development comes amid heightened diplomatic row between the two countries resulting from the contentious Memorandum of Understanding reached in Addis Ababa in January which granted Ethiopia access to the Red sea and establishment of a naval base for its forces.
Somalia has fervently vowed to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, warning Ethiopia that any aggression on its land and sea could potentially lead to a bloodshed.
The international community have raised alarm over the spiralling tension between the two neighbouring countries, saying that the ongoing dispute could give an avenue for Al-Shabab to thrive.
