By Dawan Africa - Reporter
Ethiopia, 13 November 2025- Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos has stated that the tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea extend far beyond the current debate surrounding the Red Sea access issue, emphasizing that the roots of the dispute are “much deeper and older” than what is portrayed in public discussions.
Speaking at a political forum organized by Addis Ababa University in collaboration with Horn Review Magazine, and attended by members of the diplomatic corps, Timotheos outlined the pillars of Ethiopia’s foreign policy and its position on ongoing regional tensions.The minister explained that the establishment of the Eritrean state occurred within a historical context shaped by colonial objectives aimed at depriving Ethiopia of its sovereign access to the Red Sea.
He added that what he described as “Isaias’s doctrine” – referring to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki – is built on the assumption that Eritrea’s security depends on keeping Ethiopia in a perpetual state of instability.
Timotheos noted that although the Algiers Agreement of 2000 ended active hostilities, it did not resolve the underlying causes of the conflict, leaving the relationship in a state of “no-war, no-peace” until Ethiopia launched its reconciliation initiative in 2018 — a process that later stalled due to Asmara’s reluctance to normalize relations.
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He argued that reducing the Ethiopia–Eritrea dispute to Ethiopia’s maritime aspirations is an oversimplification that ignores decades of political and security tensions dating back to the 1960s.
The foreign minister called on the Eritrean government to engage in constructive dialogue and prioritize cooperation over confrontation, stressing that the region cannot endure “another thirty years of conflict and chaos.”
The Minister's comments are expected to further deepen suspicion between the two neighboring countries.
