Landlocked Ethiopia has no intention of starting a war with neighbouring Eritrea in order to gain access to the sea, the country’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said.
A previous statement, in 2023, that having a seaport was an “existential issue” for the nation sparked concerns that the Ethiopia could take one by force.
Abiy’s comments to parliament on Thursday came amid fresh concerns that the neighbours, which have had a fractious relationship in the past, could be involved in a conflict again.
The prime minister said the issue of sea access for the world’s most populous landlocked nation should be resolved through diplomacy and mutual benefit.
“Our intention is to negotiate based on the principle of give and take. What the Eritrean people need is development, not conflict. Our plan is not to fight but to work together and grow together,” he said.
Nevertheless, he stressed that discussions around a seaport should not be taboo and that global norms support the idea that large nations require maritime access.
In recent weeks, there have been fears that the war in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region could resume, possibly with the involvement of Eritrea.
A two-year civil war, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, came to an end in November 2022, but elements of the peace deal have started to fray as politicians in Tigray have fallen out.
There have been accusations that Eritrea is interfering in the region’s internal political divisions.
Last Thursday, Tigray’s Interim President Getachew Reda accused his rivals of colluding with Eritrea, which previously supported the Ethiopian federal government during the civil war.
“We have reason to believe external actors are involved,” Getachew said, alleging that Eritrea sees turmoil in Tigray as an opportunity for its own interests.
However, Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh dismissed these allegations, telling diplomats in the capital, Asmara, on Tuesday that his country “categorically rejects” any claims that it is involved in northern Ethiopia’s tensions.
But last week Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timotewos told diplomats in Addis Ababa that his government suspects one of the factions in Tigray has links to Eritrea, though he did not provide specific details.
Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in the 1990s, which resulted in Ethiopia losing direct access to the sea.
From 1998, the countries fought a two-year border war. Relations were finally normalised in 2018, after Abiy came to power in Ethiopia, but many of the changes that that brought about have since been reversed.
