Somalia rejected an appeal from Ethiopia to enter into negotiations with a view to granting it access to a Red Sea port.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week warned that his country’s lack of access to a harbor is a potential source of future conflict and called for efforts to address the issue in order to safeguard regional stability. Ethiopia lost its direct access to the sea in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence after a three-decade war.
While Somalia is “highly committed” to enhancing peace, security, trade and integration, it isn’t interested in providing access to a strategic asset such as a port, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Omar said in a text message. “Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity — land, sea and air — as enshrined in our constitution, is sacrosanct and not open for discussion.” […] CONTINUE READING
