Ahmad 
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, discussed the situation in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region, during a phone call, according to the official Somali News Agency.
The two presidents welcomed the momentum witnessed in cooperation between the two countries in the recent period, stressing their keenness to expand the horizons of cooperation to include various fields in accordance with the fraternal ties between the two peoples.
They stressed the importance of ensuring the security and stability of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regions, which will reflect positively on the Horn of Africa and its people.
The two presidents affirmed their rejection of any unilateral measures that would harm the stability of the region, stressing the need for all countries of the region to adhere to cooperation frameworks to achieve stability and development.
For his part, President Sisi affirmed Egypt’s keenness on the security, stability and sovereignty of Somalia, and its support for it in facing security and development challenges.
The Horn of Africa is a vital strategic region for international trade across the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. It includes Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Somalia, and is witnessing many conflicts and disputes.
Last January, the Somali Foreign Ministry announced that “there is no room for mediation” in the dispute with Ethiopia, unless Addis Ababa withdraws from the “illegal agreement” it concluded with the separatist region of “Somaliland.”
Tensions escalated between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa after the latter signed a memorandum of understanding with “Somaliland” to build a military base and lease the port of Berbera for 50 years.
The League of Arab States and a large number of its members, including Egypt, announced their rejection of the agreement and support of Somalia’s sovereignty over its lands.
It is noteworthy that “Somaliland”, which declared its separation from Somalia in 1991 without official recognition, acts as an independent administrative, political and security entity.
Ethiopia has been considered a landlocked country since Eritrea’s secession from it in 1993, which made it seek seaports.
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