Written by: Badr Ahmed

On the instructions of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Dr. Badr Abdel-Aty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, and Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transport, met with President Isaias Afwerki, President of the State of Eritrea, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and exchange views on developments in the regional situation in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.

Minister Abdel-Aty conveyed President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi's greetings to his Eritrean counterpart, praising the deep-rooted historical relations between the two countries. He affirmed Egypt's full support for Eritrea in preserving its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and its keenness to enhance economic and trade cooperation with Eritrea in various fields to achieve the common interests of both countries through the establishment of bilateral cooperation projects. He highlighted that the visiting delegation included a number of businessmen and representatives of the private sector, which contributes to strengthening partnerships in a number of priority sectors, most notably mining, transportation, pharmaceutical industries, and fisheries, as well as supporting capacity-building and training programs to qualify Eritrean personnel in various sectors.

Egypt and Eritrea agree on Red Sea security governance to be limited to littoral states only.

Regarding the security of the Red Sea, Minister Abdel-Aty stressed that the governance and security of the Red Sea remain the exclusive responsibility of the coastal states, as it is a strategic passage directly linked to the national security of those states, and no non-coastal parties may engage in arrangements or understandings concerning it, stressing Egypt’s support for the Eritrean vision regarding the management of the Red Sea, and what it included in terms of emphasizing the unity and sovereignty of the states bordering it.

In the same context, the two sides reviewed developments in the Horn of Africa region, where Minister Abdel-Aati presented the Egyptian vision regarding developments in both Sudan and Somalia, stressing Egypt’s firm position towards maintaining the security and stability of the Horn of Africa region, considering it a direct extension of Egyptian national security, and the importance of supporting national state institutions and preserving the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries of the region.

Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel El-Wazir also stressed the keenness to enhance cooperation with Eritrea in the fields of transport, infrastructure and logistics, noting the readiness of the Egyptian side to transfer its expertise in the fields of railways, ports and maritime transport, which contributes to supporting development efforts and enhancing economic ties between the two countries. He appreciated the signing of the cooperation agreement in the field of maritime transport and the operation of a shipping line for cargo linking Egyptian and Eritrean ports via the Red Sea, which will contribute to enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, President Afwerki asked that his greetings be conveyed to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, expressing his appreciation for Egypt's active role in supporting the security and stability of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region. He praised the deep historical ties between the two countries and affirmed Eritrea's commitment to further strengthening coordination and cooperation with Egypt in various political, economic, and security fields to achieve the common interests of both nations and their brotherly peoples. President Afwerki also expressed Eritrea's keenness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in all areas to achieve mutual benefit for both countries.

The meeting also witnessed the honor of the economic and trade delegation accompanying the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Transport meeting with President Afwerki to confirm the full readiness to start trade and economic partnerships between the two countries in various fields, which was appreciated by the Eritrean President.