EGYPT’s President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and his Djibouti counterpart Ismail Omar Guelleh prioritised the security situation in the Horn of Africa during their discussions held in Cairo on Monday.

During a joint press conference on Monday, Al-Sisi said both countries were working to establish security and stability “in this important part of the continent which has become a hotbed of tension”. He also said they were intensifying cooperation and coordination between them regarding security in the Red Sea.

President Al-Sisi indicated that he and Guelleh also emphasised the “responsibility the riparian countries shoulder to formulate allg policies related to this vital waterway from an integrated perspective that takes into consideration developmental, economic, and security aspects.”

Guelleh embarked on his official visit to Egypt on Sunday evening, only nine months after Al-Sisi’s official visit to Djibouti in May, the first official visit by an Egyptian president to the African country since its independence in the 1977. Guelleh said his visit to Egypt reflected the “solid strategic relations with Egypt at all levels… and the strong political will to expand these relations”.

The Djibouti president said he agreed with Al-Sisi on the necessity of boosting cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including trade, investments, industry, health, tourism, security, and culture. This is in addition to the sectors of energy, transport, infrastructure, and capacity building, in a way that paves the way for a new phase of partnership between the two sisterly countries, Guelleh said.

The value of trade between Egypt and Djibouti rose to $48.01 million in 2018, compared to $37.99 million in 2017, according to official figures.

Al-Sisi also stressed the importance of the contribution of Egyptian companies to the economic development efforts in Djibouti, highlighting efforts to open a branch of the Egyptian state-owned bank Banque Misr.

Al-Sisi also underscored efforts to establish an Egyptian logistics zone in Djibouti, saying he discussed with Guelleh enhancing cooperation in transport and ports linkage as well as efforts to launch direct flights between Cairo and Djibouti.

In August, on the heels of Al-Sisi’s visit to Djibouti, Egypt announced that it will start the construction of a giant obstetrics, gynaecology and paediatrics hospital in Djibouti, the first specialised hospital in the African country. Egypt also assisted the health sector in Djibouti last year amid the coronavirus pandemic by sending several planes carrying medical aid.

Moreover, Al-Sisi reiterated during this week’s discussion Egypt’s political will to reaching a legally binding agreement on the rules for filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Al-Sisi affirmed to Guelleh, whose country is adjacent to Ethiopia, Egypt’s determination to reach a GERD deal “within an appropriate timeframe in a manner that enhances regional security and stability, based on the rules of law and the decisions of the UN Security Council”.

Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for 10 years on how to reach a legally binding agreement that regulates the rules for filling and operating the dam, a proposal that has been repeatedly turned down by Ethiopia.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 February, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.