Egypt has ordered an Ethiopian diplomat to leave the country within 48 hours, retaliating after Addis Ababa expelled an Egyptian envoy, state news agency MENA reported Thursday.
CAIRO – Egypt declared an Ethiopian diplomat persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country in response to Ethiopia’s expulsion of an Egyptian diplomat, state news agency MENA reported Thursday.
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A senior Egyptian official, speaking to MENA, said Cairo regretted Ethiopia’s decision to declare a diplomat at the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa persona non grata.
The official said Egypt categorically rejects interference in the domestic affairs of other countries. In line with international law and the UN Charter, Cairo follows a policy of refraining from commenting on internal developments in Ethiopia and other nations, the official added.
Applying the principle of reciprocity, Egypt declared a counselor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo persona non grata and ordered him to depart within 48 hours, the official said.
MENA identified the counselor as Egazi Emelo Borougi.
“The Ethiopian side has a history of attributing its failures in managing its internal affairs and its successive crises to alleged foreign interference, thereby concealing its ongoing problems,” the official said.
Ethiopia had earlier ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea’s capital, Asmara, and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats stationed in Addis Ababa persona non grata.
It later took the same step against a diplomat at the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa, giving him a deadline to leave the country.
