Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Ethiopia’s quest for a so-called toehold to the Red Sea is a legal, historical and existential right for the country which became landlocked after neighbouring Eritrea pulled out of the federation in the early 1990s.
Until their 1998 conflict brought that to an end, the Port of Assab in Eritrea’s Southern Red Sea Region, was the main sea access point serving Ethiopia.
Diplomacy has been gathering pace around regaining access to the port once again.
PM Ahmed emphasised the fundamental importance for his country’s long-term economic development and regional stability by securing access to the Red Sea but insisted that this quest is through peaceful diplomacy with its neighbours especially Eritrea.
“The manner in which Ethiopia lost its access to the sea was illegal and unjust,” said Ahmed while addressing parliament on Tuesday. He vowed that the country will not wait another three decades to reclaim this vital access.
The PM underscored that Ethiopia’s demand for access to the Red Sea is “not a new or emotional issue,” but rather one rooted in historical and economic necessity.
He said the matter should not be viewed as provocative, emphasising that “it is a question of national existence — a matter of survival.”
Ahmed said he had personally discussed the matter with President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara and Assab following the 2018 rapprochement between the two former foes.
“The country lost its access without the decision of the Ethiopian people, cabinet decision, or parliamentary approval,” he noted.
However, Ahmed reiterated that he is committed to resolving the matter through negotiation and peaceful means.
Addressing recent tensions with Asmara, Prime Minister Ahmed linked the deterioration of relations to developments following the Pretoria Agreement, which ended the two-year war in northern Ethiopia.
“We thought that after Pretoria, things would change,” he said.
“But the Eritreans took a position that as long as the TPLF and Tigray were not fully destroyed, lasting peace could not be achieved.” Ahmed added, “These are, after all, our own people. We refused to accept the idea of destroying them; we stood firm.”
“Eritreans are our brothers. We have no desire for war. Our request is simple,” said Ahmed, noting that the issue can be resolved through law and dialogue.
Ethiopia fought a bitter two year border conflict with Eritrea which ended in 2000.
MG/as/APA