Egyptian President heads to Eritrea today to discuss regional issues

The Egyptian presidency announced that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi will visit Eritrea today, Thursday, while sources told Asharq that the visit will witness the exchange of information and the signing of agreements for military cooperation.

The presidency said in a statement that "during the visit, ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields will be discussed, in addition to regional affairs and efforts to enhance stability and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region."

A source said today, Wednesday, that the goal of the Egyptian president's visit to Eritrea is to discuss "enhancing bilateral relations" and sign an agreement to exchange information and military cooperation to protect trade routes in the Red Sea.

The source explained that Cairo-Asmara will sign an "important" agreement similar to the agreement signed between Egypt and Somalia last August.

The source said that Egypt informed all parties that it will not accept the presence of Ethiopian forces in the Red Sea.

According to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Sisi received in the middle of last month the Director General of Egyptian Information Abbas Kamel and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdel Aati, and listened to the Eritrean President's vision regarding the Red Sea, where President Sisi stressed the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries and developing them in various fields. He also listened to the Eritrean President's vision regarding the Red Sea. He conveyed the message to the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that the Minister of Information and the Minister of Foreign Affairs listened to the Eritrean President's vision regarding "the development of the Red Sea, the importance of providing favorable conditions for restoring the normal movement of maritime navigation and international trade through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the development of the Horn of Africa region, the challenges of the region and ways to enhance security and stability in the region" and the participants listened to his vision regarding

On August 8, the Egyptian President received the Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, who delivered a text message from the Eritrean Foreign Minister Isaias Afwerki.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud arrived in Asmara on Wednesday evening for a three-day official visit.

The two leaders will discuss enhancing comprehensive bilateral cooperation between the two countries and regional and international issues of common interest.

Developments in the Horn of Africa

According to a statement issued by the Egyptian presidency, President Sisi met with President Ahwelke in Cairo last February to discuss the “dangerous” situation in the Red Sea and the importance of de-escalating and containing the situation.

The two presidents also discussed developments in the Horn of Africa region, and “agreed on the need to respect the sovereignty of the Somali state and support Somalia in rejecting all measures that would undermine this sovereignty,” according to the statement.

The two sides agreed on “the importance of intensifying efforts and continuing consultations for the sake of Sudan’s stability and supporting its national institutions, as well as the unity of Somalia and preserving its sovereignty over all its territories.”

Egypt signed a military cooperation agreement with Somalia last August, and Cairo sent military supplies by air and sea to assist the Somali side in the field of combating terrorism.

This came after Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with the breakaway region of Somaliland in the first week of January, granting Addis Ababa the right to use a waterfront 20 kilometers from its territory for 50 years. The Somali government called the deal “aggression and a flagrant violation of its sovereignty” and said it would “confront it with all legal means.”

Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, but no country has recognized the move.

In January, the Somali president said he would not tolerate any threat to Somalia and its security, stressing that the agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland was unacceptable to any party.

In a press conference with Somali Prime Minister Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Cairo, Sisi said: “Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or harm its security.