03/01/2024 (Agence Europe) – In the wake of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi granting Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in return for formal recognition of the Republic of Somaliland, the EU insisted on Tuesday 2 January on respect for the territorial integrity of Somalia, which announced on Tuesday that it would defend its sovereignty by all legal means. “The European Union would like to remind the importance of respecting the unity, the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia pursuant of its constitution, the Charters of the African Union and the United Nations. This is essential for peace and stability throughout the Horn of Africa”, stressed the European External Action Service in a press release. Somaliland declared itself independent in 1991. (AN)