The Italian newspaper La Verità has reported that the Eritrean government has articulated a strong and comprehensive position regarding Ethiopia's claims concerning port ownership and associated geopolitical analyses.
In an extensive letter of clarification sent to the prominent Italian newspaper, Eritrea’s Ambassador to Rome, Fessahazion Pietros Menghistu, emphasized that Eritrea is not a country that falls under the strategic influence of any power and categorically rejects any demands on its sovereignty.
At the outset of his letter, the ambassador noted that media outlets such as Horn Review cannot be considered neutral or independent sources, as they are fully aligned with the Ethiopian government.
He pointed out that these entities consistently echo the policies of the Ethiopian administration and its pursuit of a so-called "sovereign" port access, ensuring the issue is framed through biased narratives.
Furthermore, the ambassador dismissed as entirely false the allegation that Eritrea has prevented Ethiopia from commercially utilizing the port of Assab.
He explained that Eritrean ports can be engaged for commercial use exclusively through freely negotiated bilateral trade agreements founded on mutual economic benefits.
However, he underscored that port cooperation must be strictly separated from any claims of sovereignty or territorial control.While Ethiopia may negotiate commercial port services and transit corridors, it cannot assert rights of ownership over Assab, which remains an integral and inviolable part of Eritrean territory.
Stating that Eritrea's foreign policy fully aligns with international law, Ambassador Fessahazion reiterated that while his country remains permanently open to economic cooperation, it offers fierce resistance to territorial demands, pressures, or threats.
He stressed that this principled stance respects the Algiers Agreement, the boundaries established by the international boundary commission, and the territorial integrity of both states principles likewise endorsed by the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States.
Addressing another point, the text corrected the erroneous analysis suggesting the United States might back Ethiopian acquisition of an Eritrean port to counter perceived Iranian expansion in the Red Sea.
The ambassador affirmed that Eritrea is neither an instrument nor a proxy for Iran or any other external power. He clarified that while Eritrea maintains normal diplomatic relations with numerous nations, including Iran; it pursues an independent foreign policy and refuses to subordinate its territory to foreign strategic interests.
He cautioned that regional security and peace in the Red Sea must be anchored in respect for the sovereignty of coastal states and the exclusion of foreign interference, rather than transforming the region into a theater of confrontation for outside powers.
Concluding his message, the ambassador stated that the Ethiopian people require peace, reconciliation, and development rather than fresh confrontation with a neighbor.
He added that Assab can serve as an instrument for shared development, provided it is pursued purely through transparent and mutually agreed-upon trade frameworks rather than coercion.
Against this backdrop, it is recalled that as diplomatic tensions escalate over the Red Sea and port ownership, the Ethiopian government has underscored that national interest stands as an uncompromisable "red line" surpassing any negotiation.
It was also noted that safeguarding national interests is not a matter of transient politics or partisan alignment, but a collective agenda determining the survival and future destiny of the citizens.
