Egypt and Eritrea strengthen their strategic partnership and affirm their rejection of interference in Red Sea security.
By presidential decree...
Written by: Mohammed Omran
Dr. Badr Abdel-Aati met Foreign Minister The Minister of International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad, Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transport, met today 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.
Egypt and Eritrea strengthen their strategic partnership and affirm their rejection of interference in Red Sea security.
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.
Red Sea security
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 littoral states, as it is a strategic passage directly linked to the national security of those states, and no non-littoral 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, praising the depth of the historical relations that bind the two countries, and stressing Eritrea’s keenness to continue strengthening coordination and cooperation with Egypt in various political, economic and security fields in a way that achieves the common interests of the two countries and the two brotherly peoples.
President Afwerki also expressed Eritrea’s keenness to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in all fields in order to achieve the common benefit of the two 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.
