Published: Sunday, October 4, 2026 - 1:02 PM | Last updated: Sunday, October 4, 2026 - 1:02 PM
Ambassador Fathi Al-Maliji, former Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, said that the four-way consultative summit that brings together Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan comes at a very sensitive time, stressing that its convening reflects the importance of coordination between the four countries at the political and security levels, in light of the geopolitical developments taking place in the Horn of Africa region.
Al-Maliji explained, in an interview on Cairo News Channel on Sunday morning, that the summit comes in light of the current situation in Ethiopia and attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
He noted that Ethiopia recently accused Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea of trying to destabilize it, saying that holding the summit represents a move by the four countries to discuss the best ways to contain the current crisis, and stressing that the stability of Ethiopia is an important point for the countries of the region.
He pointed out that Egypt does not see destabilizing Ethiopia as serving its interests. On the contrary, the existence of a stable Ethiopian state capable of controlling all its territory allows for negotiations with it on security issues in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. He stressed that Ethiopia is an important player in the region, which makes its stability an influential factor in the region’s security.
Al-Maliji stressed that holding the four-way consultative summit is of great importance, explaining that Egypt called for it to be held based on its awareness of the importance of Ethiopia and the need to maintain stability in the Horn of Africa region, in addition to discussing ways of coordination between the concerned countries to deal with the crises and challenges facing the region.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is holding a consultative summit today, Sunday, with the leaders of Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia in the new city of El Alamein, to discuss regional issues of common interest, on the sidelines of the eighth African Union mid-year coordination summit.