CAIRO – Egypt Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry discussed on Saturday with his Somali counterpart Ahmed Moalim Fiqi the latest development in the situation in the Horn of Africa during a meeting in Cairo.
According to the Egyptian foreign ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid, both ministers affirmed their keenness to support stability and peace and reduce tensions and destabilisation in the region.
In recent months, Cairo has stressed the necessity of full respect for Somalia’s security, stability, and sovereignty over its lands, expressing its full rejection of any measures that would undermine the sovereignty of the Arab League member.
Since January, tensions increased in the Horn of Africa after Somaliland, a breakaway entity from Somalia which is not recognized by Egypt, agreed to lease 20 kilometres of its coast for 50 years to Landlocked Ethiopia, which wants to set up a naval base and a commercial port in that area on the Red Sea.
During the meeting, Shoukry and Fiqi explored means to enhance relations between the two countries in various fields.
The two top diplomats also reviewed the existing cooperation programmes between Egypt and Somalia in the fields of training, aviation, health, education, and culture.
During the meeting, Shoukry and Fiqi praised plans to inaugurate a direct air route between both countries next month, in addition to the opening of a Banque Misr branch in Somalia.
Ahram Online
