MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia and Egypt have signed a declaration elevating ties to a strategic partnership, focusing on political and military cooperation.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi exchanged the declaration, signed by Foreign Minister Ahmed Moalim of Somalia and Badr Abdelatty of Egypt in Cairo.
President Mohamud said the deal marked a new chapter in their partnership, focusing on education, security, trade, and stronger bilateral cooperation.
“We signed key agreements to elevate Somalia-Egypt relations to a strategic level,” he said.
He added that the declaration between both countries does not harm anyone, nor is it intended to harm anyone else.
This comes a month after Somalia and Ethiopia ended their one-year diplomatic tension in a declaration mediated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
President Erdogan is also set to visit Ethiopia and Somalia to advance the Ankara Declaration.
Earlier this month, President Mohamud met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to restore relations, as Ahmed seeks sea access for the landlocked nation from Somalia.
Ethiopia’s bid for sea access was vehemently rejected by Egypt, as the two countries are in a long-standing dispute over the Nile River.
Despite their rivalry, both Ethiopia and Egypt are deploying troops as part of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
