Cairo (KAAB TV) – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Badr Abdelatty, said that the security of the Red Sea depends only on the coastal countries, while clearly rejecting the presence of military or naval forces in countries that do not have coastal areas. He said this at a press conference in Cairo, which he held after a tripartite meeting with his Somali counterpart, Ahmed Macallin Fiqi, and Eritrean Osman Saleh Mohammed, as reported. Al-Qahera television. Abdelatty added that the meeting discussed the plan to hold other ministerial meetings in Mogadishu and Asmara, as well as the preparation of a second summit of presidents, after the first meeting held in October 2024 in Eritrea.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt declared that his country stands by the government of Somalia, noting the importance of expanding the government’s power to extend its authority throughout the country, strengthen the Somali national forces, and prevent unilateral measures that threaten the unity of the country.
Abdelatty also confirmed that Egypt will be part of the peacekeeping mission of the African Union in Somalia, after Mogadishu and the African Union approved it. However, he did not provide further details about the mission, which is expected to begin in early 2025.
“The security of the Red Sea is a matter that depends only on the will and cooperation of the countries that share the coast. It is totally unacceptable for other countries to have a military or naval presence in a place they have no interest in,” Abdelatty said at a press conference.
The statement of the minister of foreign affairs of Egypt is seen as going directly to Ethiopia, which wants to have a naval base on the coast of the Red Sea, according to the agreement it entered into with the administration of Somaliland, which was rejected by Somalia.
Ethiopia wants to find a sea area to make a naval base and a port. The agreement signed by Somalia in Ankara stipulates that they should discuss how to give them access to the sea. But the Somali government has said that it will only allow a commercial sea passage, or port, and will never accept a naval base.
In August 2024, Somalia’s Ambassador to Cairo, Ali Abdi Aware, announced that troops and equipment from Egypt had arrived in Mogadishu to prepare to join the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). This news was officially confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.
The new forces are expected to replace the interim ATMIS mission this month, as they prepare to continue peacekeeping operations and support the Somali government.