Ethiopia will join the new the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to tackle terrorism in Somalia, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"A high-level Ethiopian delegation led by Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed made an official working visit to Somalia. […] The discussions reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to work together to ensure peace and stability in Somalia and the region. The two countries agreed to collaborate on the AUSSOM mission and strengthen bilateral relations," the statement read.
According to the statement, the Somali Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama expressed gratitude for Ethiopia's contributions to Somali peace, while his Ethiopian counterpart Aisha Mohammed emphasized the joint commitment to counter-terrorism efforts and regional development.
The meeting follows a major agreement brokered by Turkey, after months of escalating tensions between the two nations, to resolve their ongoing dispute over Ethiopia's access to the sea through the breakaway region of Somaliland.
The Ethiopian and Somali ministers of defense expressed the nations' commitment to collaboration within the AUSSOM, which was approved by the UN Security Council in December to replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The AUSSOM aims to counter the ongoing Al-Shabaab* insurgency in Somalia.
* a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries around the world