According to the Djibouti government, Abiy was received at the airport by President Guelleh with full honours, including a performance by the Republican Guard. The Ethiopian leader is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Birhanu Tsegaye, Minister of Finance Ahmed Shide, and National Security Director General Redwan Hussein.
The two leaders held an initial session in the airport’s VIP lounge to review partnerships between what the Djibouti government described as “two nations with complementary economies.” The exchanges aimed to instill “sustained momentum” in strategic cooperation programs across all sectors of sustainable development.
Ethiopia, a landlocked nation of over 120 million people, relies on Djibouti’s ports for more than 95 per cent of its maritime trade. The meeting occurs as Addis Ababa continues to seek diversified sea access, a pursuit that has recently strained ties with other neighbors in the region.
The talks also take place against a backdrop of increased diplomatic activity in the Horn, including Israel’s formal recognition of Somaliland as an independent state and also Djibouti’s recent energy agreements with Egypt—a country currently at odds with Ethiopia over the management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).