Egypt Desirous to Strengthen Its Strategic Relations with Ethiopia

Cairo June11/2018 President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Egypt desirous to strengthen its strategic relations with Ethiopia on the basis of due consideration to Ethiopia’s interests, security and stability. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was on a two days state visit to Egypt, and President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have held a joint press conference yesterday. The leaders of the two countries have conducted extensive discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues. Both have reportedly agreed on a number of issues pertaining to work together in strengthening their regional linkage on ascertaining the fulfillment of their mutual interests. The discussion was conducted in a spirit of mutual trust as a means of diminishing any level of mistrust between the two countries. Addressing journalists on the joint statement for the press, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that both countries are engaged in a strategic partnership and Egypt would follow an approach of working towards the fulfillment of the interest of both countries. Ethiopia and Egypt have been working together for the last four years to reach on a mutual agreement on ascertaining that the construction of GERD would be conducted in such a way that the project would not tamper with the interest of any country, the president said and adding that "We understand and stress on the fulfillment of the development needs of the peoples of Ethiopia." During their discussion, both leaders have also agreed to increase the number of Egyptian investors in Ethiopia. The Egyptian President said that Ethiopia has promised to facilitate the establishment of industrial parks for Egyptian investors. Both leaders have also underscored on the necessity of commissioning a joint fund to develop infrastructural facilities between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. Speaking to the audience of journalists in Amharic on the occasion, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed strongly confirmed that Ethiopia will not engage in any detrimental activity that could harm the brotherly peoples of Egypt. "We Ethiopians fully understand what brotherhood and good neighborliness would mean and act only under the fear of God and will never and ever harbor or think of any interest or intention to engage in any action that would harm our Egyptian brothers," he stressed. "Ethiopia believes that it can develop the waters of the Nile and has the right to do so but never at the expense of maintaining a preconceived intention of harming Sudan and Egypt," the Premier said. Prime Minister Abiy added that the relationship between Ethiopia and Egypt is based on the path of mutual support that could benefit each country. He recalled that over the last hundred years African countries were at loggerheads in which countries conspire against each other and no country had actually benefited from such actions; the only path to success is the path of mutual cooperation and supportive actions. Abiy noted that both countries have agreed to work together in the spirit of peace, love and development. He said that media outlets have been formulating a political agenda of hate which should now be tuned only on accelerating development and people to people relations.