Eritrea's President Heads to Egypt for Five-Day Working Visit

Addis Ababa — Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki departed for Egypt this morning for a five-day working visit at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, marking another round of engagement between Asmara and Cairo amid shifting regional dynamics in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.

According to Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel, the two leaders will hold talks on strengthening bilateral relations and exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual concern. President Isaias and his delegation are also expected to attend the inauguration of the New Egyptian Grand Museum on November 1.

The Eritrean delegation includes Foreign Minister Osman Saleh.

The visit follows a series of diplomatic exchanges between the two countries this year. In March, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met President Isaias in Asmara to deliver a message from President al-Sisi, focusing on consolidating ties and advancing a tripartite coordination mechanism between Egypt, Eritrea, and Somalia. That framework, first launched in Cairo in January, aims to coordinate positions on regional security, particularly in the Red Sea, Libya, and the Sahel. Egypt has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the involvement of "non-littoral states" in the governance of the Red Sea.

President Isaias' departure to Cairo comes just two days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reignited debate over Ethiopia's lack of direct sea access during his appearance before parliament on Tuesday.

Abiy questioned the historical circumstances under which Ethiopia became landlocked, stating that "neither the people, nor the cabinet, nor the parliament ever made a legal or consultative decision to forfeit sea access." He described Ethiopia's demand for access to the Red Sea as "a matter of national existence," asserting that it should not be seen as provocative but as a "question of survival."

The Prime Minister also claimed Eritrean authorities are fully aware of Ethiopia's position, noting that he had personally discussed the issue with President Isaias in Asmara and Assab following the 2018 rapprochement. He added that he had outlined Ethiopia's geopolitical vision for Assab in his Medemer book series and "sent it as a gift to the Eritrean leadership."

President Isaias' Cairo visit, juxtaposed with Abiy's renewed rhetoric on the Red Sea, underscores the deepening diplomatic interplay among Red Sea states as Ethiopia continues to frame access to maritime trade routes as central to its national agenda.

Read the original article on Addis Standard.