Djibouti(Mogadishu24)-Minister of foreign Affairs of the Republic of Djibouti, Mohamoud Ali Yusuf has expressed great concern over the diplomatic tension between the Somalia and Ethiopia following port-deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia last week.

The Minister said in a statement that they were with great concern over the evolution of the situation of extreme tension between the Federal Government of Somalia and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

“The Republic of Djibouti, in its capacity as current President of IGAD, affirms its deep attachment to the preservation of the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of all member states, as a cardinal principle as enshrined in the IGAD treaty and the constitutive act of the African Union”, said the statement.

The statement stated that Djibouti called on the two brotherly countries to favor the path of dialogue and to work towards de-escalation, adding that Djibouti tirelessly continues its consultation efforts with all IGAD member states in order to achieve the ultimate objective of ending the crisis.

This is the first time that Djibouti comments on the diplomatic tension between Somalia and Ethiopian following MoU between Ethiopia and Somaliland, leasing 20 kilometers sea acres to Ethiopia a week ago.

The port deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia happened a day after talks between Somalia and Somaliland ended in Djibouti on January 1st, 2024