ADDIS ABABA: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will build a pipeline connecting Ethiopia to the Eritrean port of Assab, state media reported Friday.
The agreement was reportedly made during discussions in Addis Ababa between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and UAE Minister of International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy.
The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate did not provide details on the agreement.
Landlocked Ethiopia used an oil refinery located in Assab port for its domestic oil needs before a two-year war over the demarcation of the border broke out between the two countries in 1998, leaving some 80,000 dead before settling into a bitter cold war.
In a surprise move in June, Ethiopia's new reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced he would finally accept a 2002 United Nations-backed border demarcation, paving the way for peace between the two nations.
Reciprocal visits by the two nations' leaders led to the resumption of flights between their capitals as well as the opening of embassies and phone lines.
The UAE, which is reportedly using the Assab port to conduct military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen, has been seen as a key mediator in the diplomatic thaw between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
UAE to build oil pipeline between Eritrea and Ethiopia
UAE to build oil pipeline between Eritrea and Ethiopia
Arab and Islamic states reject Israel’s recognition of Somaliland
- Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” on Friday
- Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity of Somalia
A group of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, alongside the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have firmly rejected Israel’s announcement of its recognition of the Somaliland region within Somalia.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the ministers condemned Israel’s decision, announced on December 26, warning that the move carries “serious repercussions for peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region” and undermines international peace and security, the Jordan News Agency reported.
The statement described the recognition as an unprecedented and flagrant violation of international law and the charter of the United Nations, which uphold the principles of state sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, JNA added.
Israel formally recognized Somaliland as an “independent and sovereign state” and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region’s leader hailed its first-ever official recognition.
The ministers reaffirmed their full support for the sovereignty of Somalia, rejecting any measures that would undermine its unity or territorial integrity.
They warned that recognizing the independence of parts of states sets a dangerous precedent and poses a direct threat to international peace and security.
The statement also reiterated categorical opposition to any attempt to link the move with plans to displace the Palestinian people outside their land, stressing that such proposals are rejected “in form and substance.”
Alongside the Jordanian foreign ministry, the joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, The Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen, as well as the OIC.
Saudi Arabia on Friday expressed full support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia, and expressed its rejection of the declaration of mutual recognition between Israel and Somaliland.
