Egypt has reiterated its firm opposition to any new arrangements for access to the Red Sea that infringe upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of littoral states.
This stance comes amidst escalating tensions in the Horn of Africa and growing concerns over Ethiopian ambitions to secure a maritime outlet, which could potentially trigger regional conflicts that threaten international navigation security. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi stated during a joint press conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul that the responsibility for the security and governance of the Red Sea rests exclusively with the bordering nations, rejecting any attempts at external dominance or presence outside legitimate frameworks of regional cooperation.
The Egyptian president's remarks follow a consultative quadrilateral summit held in El Alamein, attended by Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan. This summit affirmed that the governance of the Red Sea is the exclusive prerogative of the riparian states, while emphasizing freedom of navigation.
Conversely, Ethiopia maintains its pursuit of a maritime access point, characterizing it as a "top national priority," despite being a landlocked country since the secession of Eritrea in 1993. The Ethiopian News Agency reported on Thursday that former Speaker of the Ethiopian House of Peoples' Representatives, Abadula Gemeda, stated that his country would not accept being denied access to a maritime port.
This dispute coincides with ongoing tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa over Nile River water rights and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. President El-Sisi reaffirmed Egypt's rejection of unilateral actions that undermine its water rights, emphasizing Egypt's support for development in Nile Basin countries while stressing the necessity of adhering to international law and the principle of not causing harm.
In a related development, Eritrean officials have warned of potential Ethiopian attempts to justify military confrontation with Eritrea to gain access to the Red Sea, amid rising fears of widening tensions in the Horn of Africa and their repercussions on regional security and international navigation. Cairo insists that any arrangements concerning the Red Sea must respect the sovereignty of the bordering nations, as concerns mount that increased competition for maritime access could lead to new regional instabilities.
