Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali M. Omar, took to X on Saturday to criticize Ethiopia’s attempts to secure sea access through neighboring countries, following the failure of Turkey-brokered mediation talks between the two nations.

“Being home to 120 million people does not give Ethiopia the right to breach neighboring sovereignty or unlawfully seek access to the sea. Destabilizing the region only deepens Ethiopia’s own fragility and challenges; stability is in everyone’s best interest, especially Ethiopia’s,” Minister Omar said.

The minister’s remarks come four days after the second round of talks in Ankara, Turkey, aimed at resolving tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, ended without a resolution. The talks are set to resume in a third round in September, according to Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement following the talks, expressed confidence in Turkey’s understanding of Ethiopia’s legitimate interests and its peaceful approach to securing dependable sea access.

The tensions between the two nations were sparked on January 1st when Ethiopia entered into a port deal with the breakaway republic of Somaliland, leasing 20 kilometers of sea access, a move that Somalia has strongly opposed.