Egypt rejects an agreement that grants Ethiopia a maritime outlet in Somaliland

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Egypt announced its rejection of the memorandum of understanding signed between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region (Somaliland), according to which Addis Ababa obtains a sea port.

A statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday, stressed “the necessity of full respect for the unity and sovereignty of the sisterly Federal Republic of Somalia over its entire territory, and its opposition to any measures that would undermine Somali sovereignty, stressing the exclusive right of Somalia and its people to benefit from its resources.”
The statement warned of “the danger of increasing official movements, procedures and statements issued by countries in the region and outside it, which undermine the factors of stability in the Horn of Africa region and intensify tensions between its countries.”

Egypt stressed “the necessity of respecting the objectives of the Constitutive Law of the African Union, including defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of member states… and not interfering with any member state in the internal affairs of another state.”

The statement comes a day after a call made by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on Tuesday, with his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The Somali government recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa, Abdullahi Mohamed Warfa, for consultations regarding the “violation of Somali sovereignty,” according to the official news agency (SONA).

In a statement on Tuesday, the government described the memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland as “illegitimate, baseless, and a blatant attack on the internal sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”

Somaliland has not received international recognition since it declared independence in 1991. Somalia considers the region part of its territory.

The memorandum of understanding stipulates that Ethiopia will obtain a sea port within the port of Berbera, which is expected to be used for military and commercial purposes, in exchange for Somaliland obtaining a share of the Ethiopian Airlines company, according to reports.

Ethiopia reshaped its naval force years before signing the memorandum of understanding. Ethiopia turned into a landlocked state after Eritrea’s independence in 1993.

Last month, Egypt announced the end of the fourth round of the Renaissance Dam negotiations between it, Sudan, and Ethiopia, and criticized “the continuation of the same Ethiopian positions of refusal over the past years to adopt any of the compromise technical and legal solutions that would secure the interests of the three countries.”

Egypt affirmed that it reserves its right “to defend its water and national security in the event it is exposed to harm.”