US Secretary of State Marco Rubio supports “de-escalation by all sides” amid heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the State Department said Wednesday after his call with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
“The only sustainable solution to internal and external tensions is achieved through dialogue and engagement as agreed to in the 2018 Ethiopia-Eritrea peace framework,” the State Department said in a readout of the call.
Rubio “stressed that all countries in the Horn of Africa must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their neighbors and avoid cross-border incursions,” according to the readout.
“The Secretary emphasized that the region cannot tolerate more conflict,” it added.
Abiy described the call as “very fruitful,” saying the two discussed “key bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.”
“I welcome the assurance of continued U.S. support for Ethiopia and our shared commitment to advancing bilateral cooperation and addressing regional and multilateral priorities,” he wrote on US social media company X.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought alongside each other during the 2020-2022 Tigray war. But relations have since deteriorated sharply, with the governments accusing the other of threatening regional stability.
Tensions have also intensified because of Ethiopia’s pursuit of access to the Red Sea, particularly the Eritrean port of Assab, which Asmara maintains is part of its sovereign territory.
(Anadolu Ajansı)
