The Ankara Declaration is not only a huge gain for Ethiopia

By:Prof.Keynaan.

The Ankara Declaration is not only a huge gain for Ethiopia, but also arguably a deal unmatched in history. It was pulled from thin air, costed nothing and fast tracked to fruition with minimal effort and astonishing speed. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed might be on the cusp of pulling off the biggest strategic victory in spectacular fashion.

Somalia made huge strategic concessions to a hostile neighbor with longstanding hegemonic ambitions. And gained and possibly expected nothing in return except a huge embarrassment and diplomatic humiliation. Somalia’s national interest and strategic assets were put in great peril not because it was hard to defend them or negotiate a better and fairer deal, but because the country’s leader and his team were corrupt, malignly incompetent, or irredeemably compromised.

Türkiye delivered for Ethiopia big time but ruthlessly exploited Somalia primarily to secure optimum economic, strategic and geopolitical gain for itself. Ethiopia trusted Türkiye less and demanded more. It was vice versa for Somalia.

I tried hard but failed to see a different outcome.