The Somaliland crisis between Ethiopia and Somalia was resolved through the Ankara Declaration, signed by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali during a meeting hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara.

Following this process, Somalia’s ruling Peace and Development Party arranged a visit to Türkiye.

As part of the visit, a delegation led by Abdurrahim Mohammed Hussein, Secretary-General of the Peace and Development Party, visited the AK Parti Headquarters in Ankara, where a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two parties.

A meeting was held between a delegation led by AK Parti Vice Chairman and Chairman of Foreign Affairs Zafer Sırakaya and representatives of the Peace and Development Party.

Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral party relations, cooperation in the energy sector between Somalia and Türkiye, educational programmes including student exchange programmes, and further enhancing relations in line with Türkiye’s Africa Initiative.

Sırakaya stated, “For the first time since 1969, direct elections will be held in Somalia. In 2026, direct parliamentary elections will take place, and by the end of 2025, they plan to hold municipal elections. They are eager to benefit from the experience AK Parti can provide regarding this process.”

VISITING ETHIOPIA

Meanwhile, another signatory of the Ankara Declaration, Ethiopia, has also decided to host a visit from the AK Parti delegation.

Following an invitation from Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party, a delegation led by Zafer Sırakaya is set to depart today.

The AK Parti delegation is scheduled to arrive in Ethiopia tomorrow morning and sign an inter-party Memorandum of Understanding with the Prosperity Party Vice President Adam Farah.

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the AK Parti delegation will meet with Ethiopian students who have studied and graduated from Turkish universities. The AK Parti delegation will also be attending the Prosperity Party’s 2^nd Congress on Friday.