Cairo, Asmara Align on Trade and Red Sea Security
Egypt and Eritrea moved to deepen economic cooperation during high-level talks in Cairo on Monday, while also aligning on key regional issues including Sudan’s territorial integrity and Red Sea security. Egypt’s official readout said the meeting focused on trade, investment, industry and development cooperation, alongside discussions on regional stability.
The talks brought together Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed F. Saleh with Hagos Gebrehiwet, economic adviser to the Eritrean president, and Eritrean Trade and Industry Minister Nasruddin Saleh. Egyptian officials described the meeting as part of broader efforts to expand bilateral cooperation across economic and development sectors.
In its statement, Cairo reaffirmed full support for Eritrea’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and emphasized the importance of building on recent high-level exchanges between the two countries. The Egyptian side also highlighted support for greater trade, joint investment, technical cooperation and capacity-building in priority sectors, including industry, commerce and infrastructure.
The meeting also underscored Egypt’s interest in expanding private-sector activity in Eritrea and increasing the presence of Egyptian exports in the Eritrean market. Egyptian officials said this should go hand in hand with stronger communication between the business communities of both countries and wider use of continental trade frameworks, particularly the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Beyond bilateral relations, the talks carried a wider regional message. Egypt and Eritrea exchanged views on developments in Sudan and agreed on the need to preserve Sudan’s unity and territorial integrity, support its national institutions and reject the creation of parallel entities. Both sides also stressed the importance of a political process owned by Sudanese themselves as the path toward ending the conflict.
The two sides also discussed security challenges in the Red Sea. According to the Egyptian statement, they affirmed that the security and governance of the Red Sea remain an inherent and exclusive matter for the littoral states, which bear direct responsibility for safeguarding its stability.
The Cairo meeting pointed to a relationship that is increasingly being defined not only by political coordination, but also by practical economic engagement. Its message was direct: Egypt and Eritrea are seeking to translate strategic understanding into closer cooperation in trade, investment and regional diplomacy.
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