This archive report was first published on 29 July 2020.
On Monday, Ethiopia issued a warning to Egypt against establishing a military base in Somaliland that could pose a security threat to the East African region.
The warning comes after an Egyptian delegation met with Somaliland President Musa Bihi Abdi in Hargeisa to discuss Cairo's proposal to set up a military facility in the self-declared Somalia state.
According to Dina Mufti, Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Egypt has a legitimate right to create relationships with any country in the region. However, he emphasized that these relationships should not be established at the expense of another country.
"If Egypt's intent to have a presence in the region would be a threat to a third country, that won't be appropriate," Mufti said.
"In this case, we need to have concrete instances of what's happening...we hope it won't be at the expense of Ethiopia or any other neighbouring countries because if so, it will be unlawful, against humanity and international peace and security," he added.
It's worth noting that Ethiopia has a good relationship with most of its neighbors, including Somaliland.
However, the visit by an Ethiopian team led by Finance Minister Ahmed Shide to Hargeisa days after the Egyptian delegation's visit has sparked speculation that Ethiopia's concerns may be related to Egypt's plan.
But Mufti rejected this speculation, stating that the visit was part of routine schedules aimed at discussing bilateral relations between the countries.
Meanwhile, tripartite talks between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan failed to reach a final agreement over the Grand Renaissance Dam and its use of the Nile River for filling.
Some observers say Egypt's interest in gaining a foothold in Eastern Africa has piqued after Ethiopia announced that it will stick to its plan to fill the mega dam.
