Egypt Affirms Support for Eritrea’s Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity

On Wednesday, Dr. Badr Abdel Aty, Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, welcomed his Eritrean counterpart, Osman Saleh. The meeting focused on enhancing the strategic partnership between the two nations and coordinating positions on mutual interests.

Sayed Tamim Khalaf, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported that Minister Abdel Aty praised the successful outcomes of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s recent visit to Egypt. He emphasized the strong historical ties between the two brotherly countries and expressed appreciation for their ongoing coordination and shared interests. Abdel Aty reiterated Egypt’s full support for Eritrea in maintaining its sovereignty and territorial integrity while stressing the need to build on the momentum in their bilateral relations across various fields.

The Foreign Minister also highlighted Egypt’s commitment to enhancing economic and trade cooperation with Eritrea in various sectors. He referenced outcomes from the recent visit by the economic advisor to the Eritrean president to Egypt in April, as well as a joint visit by both foreign ministers and a delegation of Egyptian businessmen to Asmara last May. This included activating a maritime transport cooperation agreement signed in Asmara. Abdel Aty expressed hopes for continued collaboration to increase trade exchange and encourage joint investments while supporting Egyptian private sector participation in the Eritrean market, especially in priority sectors such as mining, infrastructure, maritime transport, port development, pharmaceuticals, fisheries, and housing.

Furthermore, he underscored enhancing technical cooperation in capacity building through training programs organized by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development tailored to meet Eritrea’s needs and priorities.

Regarding Red Sea security, both ministers emphasized that security management remains an exclusive responsibility of the coastal states. They firmly rejected any attempts by non-coastal parties to impose arrangements or roles within this context or to enforce maritime access contrary to international law. They also supported Eritrea’s vision regarding Red Sea management while affirming the unity and sovereignty of its coastal states.

The spokesperson added that both ministers exchanged views on developments in the Horn of Africa. Minister Abdel Aty outlined Egypt’s perspective on recent events in Sudan and Somalia, reaffirming Egypt’s steadfast position on maintaining security and stability in the Horn region as it directly relates to Egyptian national security. He highlighted the importance of supporting national state institutions while preserving unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity across regional countries and rejecting any unilateral actions that could undermine state sovereignty or destabilize the region.