Egypt is pressing Somalia to help bring home eight sailors held for months aboard a hijacked vessel off the Somali coast, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urging stronger action to protect the crew and secure their release.
In talks Monday with Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali on the sidelines of the 166th session of the Arab League Council at ministerial level in Cairo, Abdelatty called for continued engagement by Somali authorities and intensified efforts to resolve the crisis.
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The eight Egyptian sailors have been held aboard the MT Eureka since the vessel was hijacked earlier this year and taken towards Somali territorial waters.
Cairo has been coordinating with authorities in Somalia and Yemen, along with the vessel’s owner, as it seeks to free the sailors.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said last week that it was pursuing intensive contacts with the relevant authorities in both countries to secure the crew’s swift release, safeguard their well-being and ensure they have adequate living conditions until they can return home.
Abdelatty also reiterated Egypt’s full support for Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, along with the preservation of its national institutions. He rejected unilateral steps that could threaten the country’s territorial unity or sovereignty.
He reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to helping Somalia develop its state institutions and strengthen their capabilities. Abdelatty also underscored the need for cooperation with international partners to secure sustainable funding for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), in which Egypt participates.
The ministers additionally examined ways to deepen the strategic partnership between Egypt and Somalia in the economic, development and investment sectors.
