Africa-Press – Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, March 8, 2025 (POA)—Given its sizable population, landmass and economy, sustainable access and outlet to the sea is an issue of existence, Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) Executive Director Jafar Bedru told ENA.
The executive director noted that Ethiopia is the largest and biggest country in population, economy, and landmass in the Horn of Africa.
Given Ethiopia’s sizable population, economy and land mass, access and outlet to the sea is a matter of existence and a shared prosperity for the region, he stressed.
Jafar stated that a stable and prosperous Horn of Africa region is impossible without ensuring access and outlet to the sea for Ethiopia to easily export and import goods.
“The economy is growing, the population is growing, and Ethiopia is the biggest and the largest country in the Horn of Africa. So, without access to the sea, the economy is going to stagnate adversely impacting the region as a whole,” he noted, adding that “our neighbors should understand this.”
The executive director insists that Ethiopia’s quest for access and outlet to the sea need to be seen in the perspective of “the Horn first principle.”
“One of the Ethiopian foreign policy principles, particularly in the post-2018 political reform process, is the Horn (neighborhood) first principle which prioritizes regional integration, peace, stability and mutual cooperation among nations of the Horn of Africa,” he elaborated.
The foreign policy of Ethiopia prioritizes neighboring countries and the Horn at large because Ethiopia shares population, language, border areas and common destiny, the executive director pointed out, emphasizing that the existence of the region depends on understanding one another, coming together and building a shared and unified political economy among nations of the Horn of Africa.
Furthermore, Ethiopia prioritizes its neighbors because whatever happens within the neighborhood is going to directly impact the security, economic stability and prosperity of Ethiopia.
Similarly, neighboring countries should understand the realities and collaboratively work with Ethiopia to ensure that the country secures sustainable access and outlet to the sea peacefully, Jafar underscored.
For executive director, this would help the region sustain economic growth and political stability.
“There are peaceful (transactional) ways that we can do to make sure that Ethiopia accesses the sea. Ethiopia has a lot of resources that its neighbors need. So we can exchange these resources to ensure a peaceful way of allowing Ethiopia to have access and outlet to the sea.”
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