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How Egypt reacted to Ethiopia's move on Red Sea

Egyptians are growing concerned over Ethiopia’s establishment of a naval base on the Red Sea, which they see as a pressure card on Cairo regarding negotiations on the Renaissance Dam Addis Ababa is building on the Nile.
BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 19: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) speaks with the President of Ghana, Nana Ando Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the G20 conference Compact with Africa in Berlin, Germany, 19 November 2019. In the high-level conference investment summit the African Compact partner countries meet with high-ranking representatives of German companies to explore investments under the framework of the G20 partnership with Africa. (Photo by Felipe Trueba - Pool/Getty Images)
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CAIRO — On Dec. 2, Capital Ethiopia reported that Ethiopia is preparing to establish a naval base at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, which is considered the first to be based on the coast of Djibouti. Observers believe this Ethiopian move is a new pressure card on the Egyptian regime regarding the negotiation track of the Renaissance Dam. Meanwhile, on Dec. 4, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi telephoned his Djiboutian counterpart, Ismail Omar Guelleh, to stress his readiness to coordinate with him on security and stability issues in Africa.

On Dec. 8, Commander in Chief of the Egyptian armed forces Lt. Gen. Mohamed Zaki ordered a military transport plane with urgent humanitarian aid aboard to head for Djibouti to help it cope with the repercussions of the recent floods in the country.

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