By Tamerat Hailu

Copyright kumnegermedia

Ethiopia has responded to Egypt’s petition to the UN Security Council (UNSC) protesting the completion and inauguration of the Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Following the inauguration, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatti sent a letter to the UNSC. Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Nebiyat Getachew told reporters on September 18 that the GERD enhances Ethiopia’s diplomatic influence in the region.

On the issue of sea access, he emphasized that Ethiopians themselves determine the country’s policy, and highlighted that several friendly states have recognized the validity of Ethiopia’s request for maritime access.

In the other hand Eritrea’s Minister of Information Yemane Gebremesqel accused officials of Ethiopia’s ruling Prosperity Party of presenting Ethiopia’s quest for maritime access as a justification for “breaking the country’s encapsulation.” Yemane described the argument as disingenuous, emphasizing that Ethiopia already enjoys multiple opportunities for normative and commercial sea access through good-faith agreements with neighboring transit countries. His comments follow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s remarks urging neighbors to engage in negotiations for Ethiopia’s maritime access, while asserting that the country cannot remain a “prisoner of geography.”