“The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement of the ‘Ankara Declaration’ in which President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia agreed to work towards resolving their differences in a spirit of friendship and mutual respect,” UN spokesman for the Secretary-General Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement, adding that he looked forward to the swift commencement of negotiations and a positive outcome to the process.

Following the Turkish-brokered talks, Somalia and Ethiopia will begin technical talks for sustainable sea access to Addis Ababa via Somalia's coastline, The Somalia Daily reported.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he believed the agreement would ensure Ethiopia's long-desired access to the sea, AFP reported.

Talks will start by February 2025, facilitated by Turkey, and a formal deal is expected in four months, according to the Somalia Daily, which added that it will include commercial arrangements such as leases and contracts.

President Erdogan met separately with Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara before announcing the deal.

Dujarric expressed appreciation to Erdogan for spearheading the initiative and reaffirmed the United Nations' readiness to support the process and implementation of the agreement.

Mogadishu and Addis Ababa have been at loggerheads since landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal in January with Somaliland, a breakaway region from Somalia, to lease a stretch of coastline for a port and military base.

The text of the agreement, published by Turkey, states that the parties agreed "to put aside differences of opinion and contentious issues, and to move resolutely forward in cooperation towards common prosperity," AFP reported.

While Abiy has stressed Ethiopia's need for coastal access, he said earlier this year that the country is "not interested in going to war" over it.

Somalia, however, has accused Ethiopia of trying to annex Somaliland with the sea deal and has suggested it could resort to military action to block Ethiopia from building a port in the breakaway region.