Foreign Minister: Egypt Rejects Any Unilateral Measures in the Horn of Africa or Red Sea That Could Affect the Sovereignty of States

Dr. Badr Abdel-Aati, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs, chaired on Saturday the plenary session of the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, alongside Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, and Tete António, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Angola and current Chairperson of the African Union.

The Foreign Minister delivered Egypt's speech at the ministerial meeting held for the first time on the African continent, emphasizing that the meeting reflects the deep historical relations between the African continent and the Russian Federation, pointing to the partnership and promising prospects for cooperation and joint work that these relations carry.

The Foreign Minister explained that the African-Russian partnership, since the launch of its first summit in Sochi in 2019 under the joint Egyptian-Russian presidency of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President Vladimir Putin, represents one of the successful experiences in enhancing international cooperation among partners sharing common grounds, especially in a world witnessing rapid transformations and a decline in the effectiveness of traditional mechanisms.

He also affirmed that the stability of the international system is closely linked to respecting the governing rules of relations between states, foremost among them the principles of sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, rejection of guardianship or impositions, and commitment to political solutions for conflicts. He stressed that reforming the international system and making it more responsive to today's requirements and challenges is no longer an option but a necessity.

He highlighted that Africa, with its opportunities and human, economic, and political potentials, should be at the forefront of active parties in this system, affirming the continent's commitment to its unified stance regarding the reform of the United Nations Security Council and calling for reforming international financial structures to make them more responsive to the needs of African countries, especially concerning technology transfer and providing concessional financing.

In the same context, the Foreign Minister pointed out that effective African partnerships are based on equality, mutual respect, and shared interests, taking into account the developmental priorities of the Africa 2063 agenda, away from temporary or conditional cooperation frameworks.

He noted that the economic and developmental dimension represents a fundamental axis in the path of African-Russian cooperation, especially given the challenges facing many countries on the continent in areas of food security, energy, infrastructure, and technology transfer. This necessitates enhancing joint investments, supporting production and manufacturing projects, and exchanging expertise, particularly in emerging fields such as cybersecurity and technological applications.

Minister Abdel-Aati affirmed that development cannot be achieved without a safe and stable environment, stressing Egypt's belief in the importance of national ownership, preserving state institutions, and commitment to the African Union's principles in maintaining the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of its member states. He called for adopting a comprehensive political, developmental, social, and intellectual approach that addresses the root causes of conflicts and the challenges of terrorism, within the interconnected relationship between peace, security, and development. This includes investing in infrastructure, education, and health, empowering youth and women, enhancing counter-terrorism capabilities, building strong institutions, providing sustainable and predictable funding for African peace support operations, and activating post-conflict reconstruction and development programs, especially through the African Union Reconstruction Center hosted in Cairo.

Regarding regional situations, the Foreign Minister referred to the severe political, security, and humanitarian challenges surrounding Egypt's regional environment. He reviewed Egypt's intensive efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza in cooperation with international and regional partners, the pursuit of a solution to the crisis in Sudan, support for the Libyan-Libyan political solution without external interference, efforts to provide sustainable funding for the African Union Mission for Support and Stability in Somalia, safeguarding the security of the Red Sea and protecting freedom of navigation therein, alongside supporting counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel region and restoring stability in eastern Congo.

In a related context, Minister Abdel-Aati renewed Egypt's rejection of any unilateral measures in the Horn of Africa or the Red Sea that could affect the sovereignty of the region's states or escalate regional and international tensions. He pointed out that Egypt is making diligent efforts to enhance cooperation with the Nile Basin countries, while simultaneously affirming its right to take all measures guaranteed by international law to protect its water security.

The Foreign Minister concluded his speech by affirming Egypt's readiness to enhance cooperation with Russia to implement trilateral cooperation projects and programs in African countries, especially in the fields of infrastructure, renewable energy, and capacity building.