“Ethiopia deserves to have access to the sea because of historical, geopolitical and economic reasons. Before then, access to the sea was mostly via Massawa and Assab on the Red Sea coast. The two countries did not enjoy good relations until 2019, and Addis was forced to deal with Djibouti for access to the sea. “When we had access to the Red Sea, we were one of the great powers,” the prime minister told lawmakers. Ethiopia, indeed, has every right to pursue access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean,” Dr Abiy asserted.
