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The diplomatic dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia that had led to tense regional relations has been resolved, Somalia’s foreign minister says.<\/p>\n
Ahmed Moalim Fiqi’s statement, carried by state TV, said Somalia had made no concessions. Ethiopia has not commented on the Somali claim, but said the two countries had agreed to “strengthen bilateral relations”.<\/p>\n
The two neighbours had been at loggerheads since last January when landlocked Ethiopia signed a maritime deal with the breakaway Somaliland, which Somalia considers as part of its territory.<\/p>\n
Friday’s statement follows a visit to Somalia by an Ethiopian delegation in the latest sign of d\u00e9tente after a Turkey-brokered deal announced last month.<\/p>\n
Led by Ethiopian Defence Minister Aisha Mohammed, the visit focused on the future of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Somalia.<\/p>\n
Ethiopia has thousands of troops stationed in Somalia which are not part of the AU force and it has not been clear what role they will play in the future.<\/p>\n
In its statement, Ethiopia said the two countries had agreed to collaborate on the mission.<\/p>\n
Somalia had previously said it could expel them over the Somaliland deal.<\/p>\n
Throughout last year, tension was high after Ethiopia announced plans to build a naval base in Somaliland<\/a>. The breakaway republic said the deal included a commitment for Ethiopia to officially recognise it as an independent country, but Addis Ababa never confirmed this.<\/p>\n