Cairo -
Egypt has joined the ranks of regional and global countries wishing to set a foot in the country of Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, and a member of the League of Arab States and the African Union, in a move that some see - albeit belatedly - as necessary and inseparable from the crisis of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the security of Suez Canal.
This week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi received his Djiboutian counterpart, Ismail Omar Guelleh.
According to a statement by the official spokesman for the Egyptian presidency, Sisi affirmed Egypt's keenness to strengthen relations and consolidate strategic cooperation with Djibouti in various fields to establish a sustainable partnership between the two countries, which reflects more coordination and cooperation regarding regional security issues and complementary work to establish peace and stability in the region.
According to the statement, Egypt looks forward to diversifying and strengthening the frameworks of joint cooperation in the military and security fields between the two countries, as well as combating so-called terrorism and extremist ideology.
The issue of the Renaissance Dam - which is being built by Ethiopia and threatens Egypt's historical share in the waters of the Nile - continues to top Sisi's talks with various countries of the world, as the meeting touched upon discussions on the latest regional developments, especially with regard to the issues of the Horn of Africa and the security of the Red Sea, as well as the issue of the Renaissance Dam Where it was agreed to enhance coordination and joint intensive consultation to follow up on these developments, in order to strengthen regional security and stability.
The visit comes in response to the invitation of Sisi, who visited Djibouti in May 2021, and the Egyptian presidency at the time described it as historic.
Weak numbers, broad ambitions
However, it is noticeable that the volume of trade exchange and investment remains low between Egypt and Djibouti, which indicates that the journey to develop relations between them is still long. On this occasion, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics issued a statement that included the following:
The value of Egyptian exports to Djibouti rose to 82.3 million dollars during the first 10 months of 2021.
The value of Egyptian imports from Djibouti reached 4.3 million dollars during the previous period.
The value of trade exchange between them increased to $86.5 million during the same period.
The value of remittances from Egyptians working in Djibouti recorded $2.2 million in 2019/2020, and remittances from Djiboutians working in Egypt were only 81,000.
The value of Djiboutian investments in Egypt amounted to 48 thousand dollars during 2019/2020.
Thousands of years ago, Egypt realized the importance of Djibouti's strategic location, and the ancient Egyptians were the first to reach this part of the African continent in 3000 BC during the reign of Pharaoh "Bibi I", according to the State Information Service of the Presidency of the Republic in Egypt.
Egypt was also at the forefront of countries that opened an embassy in Djibouti since its independence in 1977, in addition to being one of the first countries to welcome the framework agreement for political dialogue that was signed between the government and the opposition coalition in Djibouti, which paved the way for ending the political dispute within the country.
Vice-President of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs: The visit of the President of Djibouti to Egypt is of great strategic importance # From_Egypt pic.twitter.com/hejddQVpxF
— CBC Egypt (@CBCEgypt) February 7, 2022
Past, present and future relationships
In his vision on the state and future of relations between Egypt and Djibouti, Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi, the former assistant foreign minister, believes that Egypt has missed presidential diplomacy for about 20 years before, as a result of the attempted assassination of President Hosni Mubarak in Addis Ababa in 1995, and then his advanced age, but the situation Today, it is different. Efforts are being made at the level of the presidency.
Bayoumi, who is also the Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Investors, stressed, in statements to Al Jazeera Net, the need to move from the stage of meetings to following up on the resulting steps and mechanisms to enhance bilateral cooperation, because without real investments and cooperation at the economic, military and security levels, mutual visits will not work. In finding an important ally in a strategic area in the Horn of Africa on the Red Sea, which is Ethiopia's gateway to the outside world, and therefore "the focus of our presence there is a message to Addis Ababa that we are around you everywhere."
He added, "Egypt is a country that does not attack others, but being there near Ethiopia helps convince it of the need to abandon political stubbornness in the issue of the Renaissance Dam crisis, especially since Djibouti is an Arab country and a member of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and it can play a role in bringing closer Viewpoints, far from their small size, enjoy a very important and dangerous strategic position on the Arab, regional and international levels.
A national security expert The visit of the President of Djibouti to Egypt is very important..and reveals its role in protecting the Red Sea
— TeN TV (@TeNTVEG) February 7, 2022
A small country with a big location
On the security and strategic level, the expert on national security and African affairs, Major General Mohamed Abdel Wahed, says that the timing of the visit is very precise and important in light of regional and international interactions and Western competition over the Horn of Africa, which is one of the strategic places in the world in the concept of geopolitics, and it is the subject of competition throughout the course of the year. Date.
Abdel Wahed explained, in televised statements, that the visit focused on two axes, the first being security in its comprehensive sense, which includes the security of the Horn of Africa, the security of the Red Sea and the water security related to the Renaissance Dam crisis, and the second axis is development based on bilateral relations and how to develop them, given that Djibouti is a strategic partner for Egypt and an important country in this region. .
The expert on African affairs considered that small countries, in terms of size, could play very dangerous strategic roles based on their vital location, which is what Djibouti, which is a country of attraction and has several military bases on its territory, did.
Keys to being in Djibouti
In turn, the expert on African affairs, Dr. Asmaa Al-Hussaini believes that Djibouti is increasing in importance as a result of its geostrategic location (on the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Horn of Africa) after the conflicts and challenges in the region have increased, starting with the conflict in Yemen and the turbulent conditions in Ethiopia, Somalia and the Horn of Africa in general, where there is a feverish race Regionally and internationally to consolidate relations with it and establish military bases, beginning with Japan, passing through China, Europe and America.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Husseini considered that the agreement to establish an Egyptian logistical zone in Djibouti is a key to the Egyptian presence there, with the aim of enhancing the volume of trade exchange, increasing investments and extending cooperation to all levels, and in various fields such as education, health and strengthening security and military capabilities, pointing out that the strong presence there Now and in the future, he will undoubtedly make up for the long Egyptian absence.
The Egyptians hope - according to Al-Husseini, managing editor of Al-Ahram newspaper (governmental) - that Djibouti will play a positive role as an Arab and Islamic country that has good relations with Cairo, Addis Ababa and the IGAD countries (comprising 8 African countries) that chose Djibouti as its headquarters, and therefore it can play a role Whatever the stability of the region and the preservation of the security of the Bab al-Mandab area opposite the Suez Canal on the one hand, and the crisis of the Renaissance Dam on the other hand.