On Monday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Asmara, Eritrea’s capital, on an official visit. President Mohamud is making his third trip to Eritrea since assuming office in May 2022. President Mohamud was welcomed by Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki, and they are anticipated to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues of mutual interest.
The visit by President Mohamud is part of Somalia’s new diplomatic strategy, which prioritizes amicable and productive relationships with neighboring countries and the wider region. President Mohamud will visit Eritrea in July 2022 to deepen bilateral political, economic, and security relations. The presidents signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) identifying areas of collaboration in commerce, investment, infrastructure development, security, and defense during their visit. President Mohamud paid a visit to a Somali Naval brigade undertaking training in Eritrea as part of his visit. The training program is part of a larger effort to improve Somalia’s naval capacity and combat regional piracy.
President Mohamud returned in November 2022 to witness the graduation of Somali air force recruits in Eritrea, further enhancing the two countries’ defense and security relations. He underlined his aim to secure the release of Somali servicemen in Eritrea during this visit. Somalia would recall troops trained in Eritrea in December 2022.