A visit by Ethiopia's defense minister, Aisha Mohammed Mussa, to Somalia on Thursday marks a significant step towards de-escalation in relations between the two East African countries.
While Somalia's State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Omar, confirmed the visit to Western media, the details of the discussions remain undisclosed.
The visit follows a period of heightened tension, including Somalia's threat to expel approximately 10,000 Ethiopian troops serving as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) fighting al-Shabaab*, if Ethiopia didn't retract its agreement with Somaliland.
That deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland involved a proposed lease of Somaliland coastline for an Ethiopian naval base and commercial port, raising concerns in Mogadishu that it constituted an act of aggression and potentially implied recognition of Somaliland's independence.
After months of escalating tensions and unsuccessful international mediation attempts, Somalia and Ethiopia reached an agreement on December 11, during talks in Turkey, to resolve their differences through technical negotiations scheduled to commence by the end of February.
* a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries around the world