Toronto – The 28th Ethio-Djibouti held “Joint Border Administrators and Commissioners Meeting” in Debre Zeit (Bishoftu) – about 44 kilometers south east of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa – the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday.
Ethiopia’s Immigration and Citizenship Service Director General, Selamawit Dawit, and Djibouti’s Ministry for Interior, Souleiman Moumin, co-chaired it.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, strengthening bilateral cooperation in border management, security, and economic development were the key focuses of the meeting.
Selamawit Dawit described the relations between the two countries as ““a bond bound by blood beyond common border management.”
As much as Djibouti has been vital for Ethiopia’s import and export trade, it has also been a country through which human traffickers have been smuggling hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian youth.
The issue of human trafficking was part of the conversation during the meeting.
The news update from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited Selamawit as saying that “the need for coordinated efforts to combat transnational organized crimes including human trafficking, terrorism, and illicit trade along the border, ensuring the protection and welfare of citizens from both nations.”
Souleiman Moumin has reportedly affirmed the Ethiopian position. He is cited as saying that he is confident about the “shared vision of enhancing cross-border cooperation, particularly in infrastructure, peace, and security, to ensure mutual benefits.”
In the past one year or so, there were unconfirmed reports of signs of tense relation between the two countries after Abiy Ahmed publicized his “Grand Narrative” in which he claimed access to the Red Sea. The rhetoric brought Ethiopia in a collision course with Somalia and Eritrea (who turned out to be allies against Ethiopia.)
Recently, Djibouti had reportedly offered the Tadjoura port Ethiopia as part of the effort to ease tension between the latter and Somalia. However, there was no official remark from Ethiopia nor a follow up step on the part of Djibouti.