An emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the repercussions of the Ethiopia and Somaliland agreement… next
Wednesday
Sunday 01-14-2024 17:05 | Written by: Suzan Atef |
Arab League – archive photo
Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, announced that an emergency meeting of the League Council at the level of foreign ministers has been scheduled for next Wednesday, via the “video conference” feature, to discuss the repercussions of concluding an illegal memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region, which is taking place. Under it, Addis Ababa granted the concession to exploit 20 kilometers northwest of Somalia in the Red Sea.
Ambassador Hossam Zaki said, in a statement to reporters today, that the meeting is being held at the request of Somalia and the support of 12 Arab countries, adding that there had been attempts to hold the meeting in the recent period, but it was not possible to hold it due to the overlapping appointments of the ministers, and therefore it was agreed that it would be held via video communication. “Video Conferencing” as the most practical method, and it will be held at noon on Wednesday, January 17, to take into account time differences, and it will be headed by the Kingdom of Morocco, the current president of the regular session of the Arab League Council.
He explained that Somalia submitted an explanatory memorandum as the one calling for the meeting, and there is support from more than 12 Arab countries for holding the meeting, noting that “it is clear that there is something like complete consensus on the Somali position and its support.”
He confirmed that the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, will certainly meet Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, if he is present during the Somali president’s visit to Cairo scheduled during the coming period.
The Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Somalia to Egypt and the Permanent Representative to the League of Arab States, Ambassador Elias Sheikh Omar Abu Bakr, announced on January 4 that his country had submitted a request to the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting of the League Council at the level of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the repercussions of concluding an illegal memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and the Somaliland region were granted the exploitation of 20 kilometers northwest of Somalia in the Red Sea, in addition to the exploitation of a port and a military base in this region.
The Somali ambassador stressed the need to take a unified Arab position to respond to the blatant violation carried out by Ethiopia against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, because these unilateral measures by Ethiopia constitute a threat to Arab national security and navigation in the Red Sea, and are an attempt aimed at undermining the sovereignty, independence and unity of the country. Federal Republic of Somalia.
He called on the Arab countries to stand by Somalia in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with international resolutions and laws, stressing the importance of adhering to the rules of good neighborliness in order to enhance peace, security and stability in the Horn of Africa region, noting that this step taken by Ethiopia represents a blatant violation of Somali sovereignty and increases Increasing the situation in the region, and warning of the danger and repercussions of this step.