Baku:The Egyptian political analyst Magdi Khalil has criticized the leadership of Egypt for their opposition to Ethiopia's effort to gain access to the Red Sea. Khalil argues that Egypt should support, rather than oppose, Ethiopia's sovereign right to maritime access.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Khalil emphasized that Ethiopia, a large landlocked nation, has the sovereign right to establish agreements for access to the Red Sea, provided these agreements are reached peacefully. He urged Egypt to reassess its foreign policy towards Ethiopia and to move from confrontation to cooperation.
Khalil questioned the rationale behind Egypt's resistance, highlighting that Ethiopia's previous coastal presence did not harm neighboring countries. He advocated for a cooperative approach to Ethiopia's maritime aspirations and called for a regional meeting among Red Sea-bordering countries to discuss mutual interests.
Furthermore, Khalil criticized Egypt's historical stance on the Eritrean issue, noting Egypt’s support for the Eritrean Liberation Front since its inception in Cairo in 1960. He described this as a mistake that damaged potential cooperative relations between Egypt and Ethiopia. Khalil argued that Eritrea's independence and Ethiopia's landlocked status necessitate a reevaluation of the regional dynamics that have led to the current situation.
