Ethiopia’s Peace Cooperation and Maritime Diplomacy with Maritime Neighboring Countries since 2018: Successes and Challenges
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Date
2021-11-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This research aims at examining whether Ethiopia’s Peace Cooperation and Maritime Diplomacy with
maritime neighboring countries mainly with Eritrea since 2018 satisfy Ethiopia's need to get the right to
access the sea through Eritrea ports that serve both for commercial and military activities, and the
reason why land-locked Ethiopia needs to build a navy and where Ethiopian navy will be based. The field
data were collected through key informant interviews and Main findings of the study include, Ethiopia
and Eritrea able to end the period of ‘no peace no war’ after the leaders of the two countries signed
peace deal agreements in 2018. But, Ethiopia did not begin to use Eritrean ports both for economic and
military activities. The reasons for the lack of official execution of the agreement signed to implement the
boundary decision has not been executed due to internal conflict in Ethiopia, Ethiopia and Eritrea did
not sign a package agreement that consists of port utilization protocols, and Eritrean ports are also
lacking infrastructures. The study also found out that Ethiopia re-established its navy by Proclamation
No. 1100/2019, to protect Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, to protect Ethiopian cargo ships, and to
protect Ethiopian national interest in the Horn African maritime region. Yet, Ethiopia did not sign a
single treaty with any maritime countries that help Ethiopia to get an operational naval base. Therefore,
Ethiopia’s peace cooperation and maritime diplomacy made with Eritrea since 2018 did not satisfy
Ethiopia's need to get access to the sea through Eritrea ports, which serve Ethiopia both for its economic
and military objectives yet. Also, the base of the new Ethiopian navy is still unknown. This implies that
Ethiopia needs to work hard to avoid all the challenges that impede its Peace Cooperation and Maritime
diplomacy, and to make every possible effort to achieve the objective to get sea access through the
maritime domain of Eritrea that would serve Ethiopia both for commercial and military purpose.
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Keywords
Ethiopian's Peace Cooperation, Maritime Diplomacy, Maritime Neighboring