CAIRO (KAAB TV) – Egypt will host on Saturday a tripartite dialogue involving Somalia and Eritrea, as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen regional alliances and enhance security cooperation in the Horn of Africa, according to Egyptian media. .
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Dr. Badar Abdelatty will chair the meeting with his counterpart, Ahmed Macallin Fiqi from Somalia and Osman Salah Mohamed from Eritrea. The tripartite talks aim to follow up on the agreements reached during the Asmara Summit in October 2024, which focused on promoting regional stability, protecting the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and fostering economic cooperation.
This meeting is focused on the implementation of the agreements that came out of the summit in October, in which the leaders of Egypt, Somalia, and Eritrea are committed to promoting cooperation as a result of the controversial agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland. The agreement allowed Ethiopia to get the port of Berbera, and was condemned by the tripartite alliance as an insult to its nationalism. Eritrea and Egypt, concerned about Ethiopia’s wider ambitions, sided with Mogadishu against the deal.Ankara’s declaration from Turkey in December 2024 tried to mediate these tensions, emphasizing the territorial integrity of Somalia, given the conditions for Ethiopia’s access to Somalia’s ports. However, unresolved conflicts underline the complexity of the region’s geopolitical landscape.
Egyptian officials said the meeting will focus on maritime security and counter-terrorism. Special emphasis will be placed on securing the important trade routes of the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb, fighting piracy, and dealing with illegal smuggling.The Minister of Defense of Somalia, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, is also in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, where he is having private meetings with his Egyptian counterpart. These talks are based on Egypt’s participation in the African Union Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the possibility of deploying Egyptian troops to support Somalia’s peace-building efforts.
Further negotiations between Somalia and Egypt are expected in the middle of next week to finalize military cooperation and strategic logistics details.
Eritrea, which is an important military partner of Somalia, has trained thousands of Somali soldiers to fight terrorism and naval operations.