New York — Ethiopia's envoy to the United Nations issued a statement saying that the government of Abiy Ahmed regrets "Somalia's accusations and the report it submitted to the United Nations Security Council on the 19th of this month."

Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma Sabo pointed out that Ethiopia is sorry for the statements made by Somalia's ambassador to the United Nations, Abukar Baalle, in a special meeting held a few days ago by the Security Council on the situation in Somalia.

The report submitted by Somalia was about Ethiopia's violations against Somalia's independence and Ethiopia's military intervention on the borders of the two countries.

The Ethiopian ambassador strongly defended the agreement that his country's government signed on Jan. 1. entered into Somaliland's port and military base, saying that it is "not a violation of international law."

He said that Ethiopia has contributed to the peace and security of Somalia," with Ethiopian soldiers who lost their blood fighting against Al-Shabaab.

Ethiopia has underlined that it is still ready to enter into dialogue with Somalia to maintain the cooperation relationship that is important for the security of the Horn of Africa region.

Catriona Laing, the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations for Somalia, told the members of the Security Council that the African Union meeting held recently in Addis Ababa failed to calm the tension between Ethiopia and Somalia which was "disappointing".