By Mohamed Abdi - Reporter
Somalia, January 7 2026 Puntland State President, Said Abdullahi Deni, held a closed-door meeting with the Ethiopian Consul General, Tagesse Lambamo Dimbore at State House in Garowe on Tuesday.
The meeting, which included senior officials from the Ethiopian Consulate, was confirmed in a brief statement issued by the Puntland State House. However, the presidency did not provide specific details regarding the agenda or the outcome of the talks.
"President Deni received the Ethiopian Consul and officials from the consulate today," the statement noted, without elaborating on the topics covered during the session.
While official details remain undisclosed, the meeting occurs amid heightened regional friction. Ethiopia seeks to maintain its influence in the Horn of Africa, while Puntland has increasingly asserted its independence from the federal government in Mogadishu due to disputes over constitutional amendments and the 2026 electoral process.
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Security and trade typically dominate high-level discussions between the two parties, given the geographic link between Puntland and Ethiopia and their shared interest in combating Al-Shabaab and ISIS insurgents.
