Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed held a closed-door meeting in Addis Ababa on Sunday with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to discuss bilateral and regional issues, amid escalating tensions over the future of Somalia's Jubaland administration.

According to a brief statement from Abiy's office, the two leaders exchanged views on "issues of mutual interest," though no further details were provided.

A statement from Villa Somalia, the Somali presidency, said the meeting took place at Ethiopia's National Palace and focused on "strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing developmental cooperation based on good neighbourliness, mutual respect, and shared prosperity, while upholding the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of both nations."

The talks come amid reports that the Somali federal government is planning to establish a parallel Jubaland administration in the southern Gedo region -- a move reportedly opposed by both Ethiopia and Kenya.

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Earlier this week, senior Ethiopian military and intelligence officials visited the border town of Dolow, where they reportedly warned local elders that any attempt to form a rival Jubaland administration would be seen as a threat to Ethiopia's national security and regional stability.

The meeting also follows a high-level opposition gathering in Nairobi last week, where leaders from Somalia's Puntland and Jubaland regions, along with figures from the Somali Salvation Forum, announced the formation of the Somali Future Council -- a political bloc aiming to coordinate efforts toward a stable political transition.

Sunday's talks mark a new step in ongoing efforts to repair relations between Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, following months of diplomatic tensions triggered by Ethiopia's maritime memorandum of understanding with Somaliland -- a deal Mogadishu has denounced as a breach of Somalia's sovereignty.