Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdul Atty stated on Saturday that the security of the Red Sea “rests solely on the will of the coastal states,” expressing Cairo’s rejection of any military or naval presence by non-coastal nations.
Abdul Atty made these remarks during a joint press conference in Cairo with his Somali and Eritrean counterparts, Ahmed Awad and Osman Saleh Mohammed, respectively, following a trilateral meeting.
The minister announced that the three countries had agreed to hold similar ministerial meetings in Mogadishu and Asmara, and to prepare for a second presidential summit soon after the one held in Eritrea in October 2024.
Abdul Atty emphasized the importance of providing all possible support to the Somali government to extend its control over the entire territory of the country, strengthen the Somali army, and reject any unilateral actions that undermine Somalia’s unity.
The Egyptian foreign minister confirmed his country’s participation in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, following a welcome from Mogadishu and the African Union, without providing further details about the mission, which is expected to begin in early 2025.
Abdul Atty added, “We discussed the security of the Red Sea, which rests solely on the will of the coastal states, and that it is absolutely unacceptable to allow any military or naval presence by any non-coastal state.”
In August 2024, the Somali ambassador to Cairo, Ali Abdi Owre, announced the arrival of Egyptian equipment and forces in Mogadishu in preparation for participation in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which was confirmed by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
