MOGADISHU, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Somalia on Thursday closed two of the Ethiopian consulates in the country's northern region and ordered the Ethiopian ambassador to leave the country, escalating diplomatic rifts between the two sides.

The Cabinet which met in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, said the two consulates in Garowe in Puntland State and Hargeisa in Somaliland State must be closed within a week.

"Diplomats and employees of the Ethiopian government working in the two consulates in the cities mentioned must leave the country within a week," the Cabinet said in a statement issued after the meeting.

The statement warned of further consequences for any Ethiopian diplomats who fail to comply with the directive, emphasizing that such actions would be seen as a violation of Somalia's sovereignty. It also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to officially inform the Ethiopian ambassador to Somalia to return to his country for consultation.

This development follows a meeting between the Ethiopian foreign minister and Puntland's finance minister on Wednesday in Addis Ababa, a meeting that Mogadishu claims was not coordinated with or approved by the Somali government.

Tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia have been exacerbated by a recent agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland State of Somalia. The agreement, signed on Jan. 1, grants landlocked Ethiopia access rights to the Red Sea port of Berbera, a move that Somalia views as a violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ethiopia will be able to establish commercial marine operations at the port and will have access to a leased military base on the Red Sea. In exchange, Ethiopia has agreed to recognize Somaliland as an independent nation, which has not been internationally recognized, and to provide a share of state-owned Ethiopian Airlines to Somaliland. Enditem

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