Egypt, Eritrea Affirm Red Sea Security as Exclusive Responsibility of Littoral States

Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates, met on Saturday, with Osman Saleh, Eritrean Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his current visit to Asmara.

The meeting focused on ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries and coordinate positions on regional issues of mutual interest.

Abdelatty emphasized the depth of the historical ties binding Egypt and Eritrea, expressing his appreciation for the ongoing coordination, shared visions, and mutual interests. 

Moreover, he stressed Egypt's full support for Eritrea in preserving its sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, highlighting Cairo's keenness to build upon the current momentum in bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation across various fields to serve the interests of both brotherly peoples.

​Furthermore, FM underscored Egypt's commitment to boosting economic and trade cooperation with Eritrea to achieve mutual benefits and support economic development efforts. 

He also expressed optimism for continued joint action to increase trade volume, encourage joint investments, and support the participation of the Egyptian private sector in the Eritrean market, particularly in priority sectors such as transport, mining, pharmaceuticals, fisheries, and infrastructure.

​Regarding Red Sea security, both ministers firmly stressed that the security and management of the Red Sea remain an exclusive responsibility of its littoral states.

They also emphasized that Egypt rejects any attempts by non-littoral parties to impose security arrangements or roles in this context.

​In the same context, the two ministers exchanged views on developments in the Horn of Africa.

In addition, Abdelatty reviewed the Egyptian perspective on the situations in Sudan and Somalia, reaffirming Egypt's unwavering stance on maintaining the security and stability of the Horn of Africa as a direct extension of Egyptian national security. 

He also underscored the importance of supporting national state institutions and preserving the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the region's countries.