HARGEISA (HORN OBSERVER) – Somaliland’s President, Muse Bihi Abdi, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Monday, granting Ethiopia a lease for a 20-kilometer sea base in the Red Sea.

In the agreement, Ethiopia gains the right to station its navy in the Red Sea and secure access to the sea.

"Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has asked me to sign the MoU, which, in return, Ethiopia will be the first country to recognize Somaliland as an independent republic,” President Bihi announced during an event in Addis Ababa on Monday.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister and his government officials applauded as Bihi delivered the speech.

While still seeking international recognition since its separation from Somalia in 1992, Somaliland aims to strengthen its ties with Ethiopia through this strategic agreement.