MOGADISHU, Somalia – Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has ruled out any military or naval presence by non-littoral states in the Red Sea, as Ethiopia seeks sea access through the Ankara Declaration with Somalia.
He was speaking alongside his Somali and Eritrean counterparts. The next trilateral meeting will take place in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The three foreign ministers held the inaugural meeting of the trilateral committee in Cairo on Saturday. They also agreed to hold regular ministerial meetings.
“The next meeting will take place in Mogadishu,” Abdelatty said, noting that arrangements are underway for an upcoming trilateral presidential summit.
Abdelatty said the three countries strongly oppose any unilateral actions that threaten Somalia’s unity and sovereignty, reaffirming their commitment to Somalia’s integrity.
The meeting also focused on how both Egypt and Eritrea can address security challenges and ensure the protection of both land and maritime borders of Somalia.
The meeting comes as Egypt prepares to deploy troops to the African Union’s peace mission in Somalia. Ethiopia, which is also contributing troops, has a long-standing Nile dispute with Egypt.
