Decisive messages: Egypt affirms its support for Somali unity and the protection of the Red Sea.

Written by Ziad Abdel Fattah:

Ambassador Mohammed Karim Sharif conducted Assistant Foreign Minister for African AffairsDuring an official visit to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, he held a series of high-level meetings with senior Somali officials to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and joint coordination on regional and security issues, within the framework of Egyptian efforts to support stability in the Horn of Africa region.

The Assistant Foreign Minister was accompanied during the visit by the Egyptian Ambassador to Somalia, Mohamed Salah, where he met with a number of Somali ministers and officials, including the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Fisheries and Blue Economy, Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Investment and Industry, the Chairman of the Somali Investment Authority, the Special Representative for Counter-Terrorism and Extremism, and the Acting Head of the United Nations Transitional Support Mission in Somalia.

The Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs held a meeting with the Somali Minister of Defense, Moalim Fiqi, with the participation of the Egyptian Defense Attaché in Mogadishu, as well as visiting the headquarters of the Egyptian Embassy and the Somali National Disaster Management Authority.

Egypt's unwavering support for the unity and sovereignty of Somalia

The meetings affirmed Egypt’s firm and supportive stance on the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Somalia, and its support for the Somali government’s efforts to build national state institutions and enhance security and stability.

Egypt stressed its rejection and condemnation of any unilateral actions aimed at undermining the unity of Somalia or diminishing its sovereignty, including the recent moves by the president of the internationally unrecognized “Somaliland” region, which Cairo considered to be in violation of international law and affecting the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem.

Egyptian-Somali coordination to protect Red Sea security

The talks witnessed an agreement between the two sides on the importance of strengthening joint cooperation to protect the security and stability of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and supporting efforts aimed at activating the Council of Arab and African States Bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in addition to advancing the Suez and Red Sea Maritime Economic Development Initiative (StREAM).

Both sides stressed the need to coordinate positions to counter attempts to spread chaos and instability in the region, while emphasizing that the responsibility for the security of the Red Sea lies exclusively with the coastal states, as they are the parties concerned with maintaining its security and stability.

Egyptian participation in supporting stability and combating terrorism

The talks addressed developments related to the participation of Egyptian forces in the African Union Mission to Support Stabilization in Somalia, and efforts to enhance cooperation in the areas of security, defense and counter-terrorism, in order to support Somali state institutions and consolidate regional security.

The two sides also discussed prospects for economic and development cooperation in the fisheries, petroleum and mineral resources, investment and industry, and maritime and air transport sectors, in addition to training, capacity building and efficiency improvement programs for Somali personnel.

In this context, the Somali side’s needs for training and technical programs were reviewed, in preparation for including them in the activities of the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development and the specialized Egyptian bodies, in order to enhance the path of cooperation between the two countries and support development and stability efforts in Somalia.