Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s quest for access to sea and alternative ports aims at realizing the principle of developing together with other countries by strengthening collaboration in addition to safeguarding its national interest in the region, scholars told ENA.
The country’s strategy is also in line with the foreign policy it has been pursuing in East Africa region, they added.
Dire Dawa University Law College Dean, Roba Petros said there are international laws and frameworks that ensure the benefits of landlocked countries, including Ethiopia.
In this regard, Ethiopia’s quest for access to sea and alternative ports is supported by existing international laws, he stated.
In its resolution in 1952, the United Nations has stipulated that the issue of access to sea is the survival of Ethiopia that should be addressed positively, the scholar recalled.
Ethiopia can use this resolution as an alternative means to ensure its right of access to sea, Roba pointed out.
According to the scholar, this same resolution also states that the issue of access to sea is crucial to maintain peace and security in the region.
The scholar elaborated that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea signed in 1982 in Jamaica also allows landlocked countries to use ports located in other countries and to utilize resources in sea.
The laws and international frameworks indicate the fact that Ethiopia has the right to have access to the sea that could be implemented with diplomatic relations of the pertinent countries.
Negotiations and discussions are vital in realizing these rights, Roba said, adding that the idea raised by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the issue is based on the principle of give and take.
The scholar stressed the need to explain to countries in the region and the international community about Ethiopia’s idea of mutualism.
International Relations researcher, Henok Getachew on his part said Ethiopia’s quest for access to sea and alternative ports has been under discussion for a long time.
The demand is legal and coincides with the foreign policy the country pursues in the region, he added.
According to him, the strategy will help Ethiopia to properly understand and safeguard its national interest in the region by establishing good relationship with other countries.
The issue of access to sea is vital in ensuring shared development and equitable benefits in the region, Henok noted.
Ethiopia’s quest for access to sea doesn’t affect the national interest of other countries and is supported by international laws.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency