Ethiopia Pursuing for Access to Sea Peacefully, Based on Int'l Law: PM Abiy

Addis Ababa, September 17, 2025 (ENA) -- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underlined that Ethiopia's quest for access to the sea is based on peaceful means--and its status quo of 'geographical prisoner' will no longer continue.

During the inauguration of his fourth book,’ The Medemer State’ at the Addis Ababa Convention Center yesterday, Prime Minister Abiy strongly underlined that a generation that may be filled with concerns and doubts to reclaim access to the Red Sea—which we had owned before,  is of psychological fracture.

But, Ethiopia can do that, the prime minister stressed.

I cannot think of a country the size of Ethiopia to remain closed and to be bequeathed to the next generation.

"We don't believe that war and conflict are necessary to achieve this. That is why we have been waiting in patience for five years," he explained.

To this effect, Prime Minister Abiy added that we have been waiting in patience over the past five years.

Driven by a firm belief that Ethiopia needs to be given access to the sea based on peaceful means and international law, we extend our hands more than ever to discuss with anyone willing to talk to us peacefully at any forum, the Prime Minister elaborated.

Abiy also stressed that Ethiopia can no longer remain in the status quo of a "geographical prisoner."

Ethiopia gives priority to peace and fiercely fights against poverty--securing a gateway to the sea will be inevitable, Abiy noted, urging brothers and sisters to be ready for peaceful negotiation.

 

Prime Minister Abiy also stressed the need to forge solidarity among citizens around a shared vision.

The path forward is to gather Ethiopians around a common vision as much as possible. Having gathered a common vision, it is necessary to identify the fractures and devise solutions," he explained.

Creating division among us is the primary weapon employed by Ethiopia's adversaries, Abiy said, stressing that ‘’Medemer’’ (synergy) is the cure to their ill intentions.

Drawing from historical precedent, the Prime Minister emphasized that Ethiopian unity has consistently alarmed the nation's enemies.

He envisioned a future where Ethiopians, regardless of ethnic origins could stand together to "move faster and leapfrog towards national aspirations.

Prime Minister Abiy expressed his dream, painting a bright picture of the country so that the country's parliament would debate how much billion of money to allocate as aid to Eastern African neighbors, rather than needing to receive assistance itself.