Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party (PP) says it has made the landlocked country’s “natural and historical right” to the sea an agenda of international significance.
In a statement the party issued over the weekend, the party said the government’s effort to restore Ethiopia’s “geostrategic position” in the Red Sea has gained momentum.
“The country has elevated its natural and historical right to access the sea to an international level and we have taken more than one step towards restoring our geostrategic position in the Red Sea,” the statement indicated.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has repeatedly claimed that “a population of more than 120 million people cannot stay landlocked,” adding that morally legitimatising pursuit of access to the Red Sea is a “matter of survival” and a historical right on several occasions.
Neighbours in the region, especially Eritrea, are alarmed by this rhetoric.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki responded by calling such assertions provocative and revisionist. He warned against any attempts to change the region’s current borders.
Although the two leaders had initially forged a close alliance after the 2018 peace agreement, Asmara’s defensive stance and Addis Ababa’s more assertive tone have raised fears of new conflicts in a historically conflict-ridden region.
The ruling party also said it has transformed Ethiopia’s geostrategic standing in the region by taking “appropriate and legal action” on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The statement comes amid a resurgence of tensions with neighbouring Eritrea while the dam remains a major source of regional tension especially with Egypt.
Ethiopia views the GERD as a sovereign right and a vital project for national development, but Egypt considers it an existential threat to its water security.
Regarding ongoing conflicts in the Amhara region, the party announced that it will provide all necessary support to armed groups that choose to pursue peaceful alternatives and engage in non-violent struggle.
Conversely, it stated that it would intensify law enforcement efforts against forces that refuse peaceful options and create problems for the public and national security.
MG/as/APA