ADDIS ABABA (SD)-The Ethiopian government has requested the IGAD regional organization to hold an urgent meeting of IGAD leaders to discuss the crisis arising from the maritime agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ethiopian government, in a statement, urged the Djiboutian government, which currently holds the presidency of IGAD, to organize an urgent summit involving the leaders of IGAD member countries.

The statement from the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the upcoming IGAD summit would provide an opportunity for the Addis Ababa government to present comprehensive information regarding the agreement with Somaliland reached on the 1st of this month.

It is understood that the leadership of IGAD is likely to accept the new request from Ethiopia, despite the Ethiopian government’s previous reluctance to participate in IGAD meetings held in Kampala, where discussions on the maritime dispute with Somaliland took place.

The Somali government has not yet fully responded to Ethiopia’s request for an urgent IGAD summit, as it had earlier set conditions for Ethiopia to engage in direct talks regarding the ongoing dispute.