During his meeting with his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki, in Cairo on Thursday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed his support for Asmara's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and discussed with him the security of the Red Sea and ways to end the war in Sudan.

The talks come two days after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed Egypt, Eritrea, and Sudan, urging cooperation on the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and access to a sea outlet.

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Thursday that Sisi welcomed Afwerki, who is visiting Egypt to participate in the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum on Saturday, and that they discussed ways to enhance cooperation. The statement noted that the Egyptian president affirmed his country’s firm commitment to supporting Eritrea’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Regarding the timing of the visit, Salah Halima, Vice President of the Egyptian Council for African Affairs and former Assistant Foreign Minister, believes it is important in “affirming the joint Egyptian-Eritrean positions, which reject the Ethiopian hegemonic tendencies, whether in the Ethiopian dam or the outlet to the Red Sea.”

According to a statement from the Egyptian presidency, both sides affirmed “the convergence of views between the two countries regarding ways to end the war in Sudan,” stressing in this context “the need to support national state institutions, foremost among them the Sudanese Armed Forces, and to reject any attempts to create parallel entities.”

In this context, Sisi pointed to “the efforts made by Egypt within the framework of the Quartet Mechanism, seeking to end the war and alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people,” stressing Egypt’s commitment to working with partners to ensure the unity of Sudan, the integrity of its territory, and the preservation of its national sovereignty.

The meeting included an emphasis on the importance of strengthening cooperation to ensure the security of the Red Sea and to avoid affecting navigation in this vital waterway.

The Egyptian president stressed the need to intensify coordination between Egypt and Eritrea, as well as with the Arab and African coastal states, in order to contribute to consolidating security and stability in this region.

Halima believes that the Eritrean president's visit is linked to two main issues: "rejecting any attempts at an Ethiopian presence on the Red Sea and ensuring its security, in addition to rejecting interference in Sudanese affairs or any division of Sudan."

He added, in his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that the meeting “carried an indirect response to Ethiopia’s illegal efforts regarding the Renaissance Dam or the sea outlet, amidst emphasis on the importance of the region’s security, the rejection of interference in the internal affairs of its countries, and the cessation of creating crises.”

The meeting between Sisi and Afwerki came two days after a speech by Abiy Ahmed in the Ethiopian parliament, in which he called for cooperation between the Nile Basin countries, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt, regarding the “Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam,” as well as for cooperation with Eritrea to gain access to a sea outlet for his landlocked country.

This comes after criticism from the Egyptian president on October 12, during the opening session of the 8th Cairo Water Week, holding Addis Ababa responsible for what he described as the “unruly management” of the Renaissance Dam, and for harming the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan after lands in the two countries were flooded.

Tensions are also escalating between Ethiopia and Eritrea amid mutual accusations in recent months of preparing for war. Asmara previously accused Addis Ababa, last May, of “seeking to destabilize the region under slogans related to access to the Red Sea.”