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Russia-Eritrea Relations Grow with Planned Logistics Center

by Salem Solomon

   Russia and Eritrea expanded their diplomatic relationship Friday when
   Moscow announced plans to build a logistics center at a port in the
   East African country.
   Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov disclosed the plans at a meeting with a
   high-level delegation from Eritrea, [1]according to RIA, a Russian
   state-owned news agency.
   The scope, location and timeline of the project have not been
   announced, but the diplomatic development is an important milestone for
   both countries, each of whom has sought to expand its bilateral ties.
   For Russia, it's the latest effort to [2]forge alliances with countries
   in Africa, following multiple trips to the continent this year by
   Lavrov to discuss military, economic and diplomatic partnerships.
   Russia signed a military cooperation agreement in late August with the
   Central African Republic. That deal focuses on training armed forces in
   the [3]CAR.

   For Eritrea, a deepening Russia alliance is the latest sign that
   decades of isolation may be ending, after a [4]historic peace deal in
   July with neighboring Ethiopia. Since that agreement was signed,
   Eritrea's president, Isaias Afwerki, has met with leaders from Saudi
   Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia and South Sudan. He's also
   received delegations from Japan and Germany.

   For Friday's meeting, Eritrea sent a delegation led by Foreign Minister
   Osman Saleh and Yemane Ghebreab, a senior presidential advisor, to
   Sochi, Russia, about 3,100 kilometers north of the Eritrean capital,
   Asmara. It's the [5]latest get-together in the countries' 25-year
   diplomatic relationship.
   Strategic location
   Eritrea's two ports, in Massawa and Assab, occupy strategic points
   along the Red Sea. Access to those ports is one benefit Ethiopia, a
   landlocked country, may reap from the peace deal.
   Ethiopia and Eritrea began talks about the possibility of joint port
   development immediately following the deal. Such a cooperation could
   involve an existing facility or one that hasn't yet been conceived.
   Meanwhile, specifics on the purpose of the planned Russian logistics
   facility haven't yet been announced, but Russian and Eritrean leaders
   said the project would invigorate trade and business deals between the
   countries.
   But if Russia follows through on its plans for a logistics center, it
   won't be the first time a foreign player has set up shop in Eritrea.
   Assab is already home to a United Arab Emirates naval base, and
   [6]Eritrea has allowed the U.A.E. to launch planes from Assab to fight
   Houthi rebels in Yemen. The port, at the mouth of the Red Sea, has a
   particularly strategic location less than 200 kilometers north of an
   array of international military bases in Djibouti.
   In the 1940s, the United States established a military and logistics
   base at Kagnew [7]Station in Asmara for reconnaissance missions in Word
   War II and the Cold War.
   Last year, U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher called for renewed
   [8]military ties with Eritreain the fight against terrorism.
   Sanctions next?
   Eritrea faces U.N. sanctions against specific individuals, along with
   an arms embargo. It's hoping to use evolving diplomatic relationships
   to build momentum to lift the sanctions.
   Talk of lifting the sanctions has accelerated since the peace deal with
   Ethiopia, but Eritrea's sanctions, in place since 2009, were imposed
   not because of that conflict, but rather separate concerns with other
   regional neighbors, including alleged support of al-Shabab in Somalia
   and a border dispute with Djibouti.
   The sanctions have been in place since 2009, when worries arose over
   Eritrea's alleged support of al-Shabab and a border dispute with
   Djibouti.
   The [9]al-Shabab issue is all but settled, with the United Nations
   deciding last November to disband the monitoring group tasked with
   investigating Eritrea's links to the armed extremist group, after years
   of inquiries produced no evidence of ties.

   Objections over the border with Djibouti, however, have persisted, with
   [10]Mohamed Siad Doualeh, Djibouti's ambassador to the United Nations,
   writing a forceful letter to the [11]U.N. Security Council in late July
   outlining his country's grievances, which include occupation of
   Djiboutian land and prisoners of war who have not been accounted for or
   returned.

   Lifting sanctions will require nine of 15 Security Council votes,
   including the support of all five permanent members - China, France,
   Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
   [12]Lavrov said Friday that sanctions against Eritrea should be lifted,
   according to TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency.
   It's the first time a permanent member of the Security Council has
   addressed the sanctions issue and, backed by aspirations for bilateral
   business deals, increases Eritrea's odds before a potential vote.

   Salem Solomon is a multimedia digital journalist with the Voice of
   America's Africa Division. She covers [13]the latest news from across
   the continent, and she also reports and edits in [14]Amharic and
   [15]Tigrigna.

   Salem's multimedia and data-driven projects include [16]How Western
   DRC's Ebola Outbreak Was Contained, [17]Unrest: Ethiopia at a
   Crossroads, [18]Zimbabwe in Transition, [19]Hunger Across Africa and
   [20]How Long Have Africa's Presidents Held Office?

   Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post,
   Poynter.org and Reuters. She researches trends in analytics and digital
   journalism. For tips and inquiries, email: salemsolomon@voanews.com.

References

   1. https://ria.ru/economy/20180831/1527595506.html
   2. https://www.voanews.com/a/russia-seeks-renewed-africa-ties/4421257.html
   3. http://https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-centralafrica-accord/russia-signs-military-deal-with-the-central-african-republic-agencies-idUSKCN1L60R2
   4. https://www.voanews.com/a/benefits-of-peace-come-into-focus-for-ethiopia-eritrea/4476460.html
   5. http://http://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/3334300
   6. https://www.voanews.com/a/observers-see-several-motives-eritrean-involvement-yemen/3138689.html
   7. http://http://www.kagnewstation.com/history/chapter4/index.html
   8. https://www.voanews.com/a/congressman-pushes-eritrea-us-military-partnership/3972539.html
   9. https://www.voanews.com/a/un-group-recommends-dropping-inquiry-into-eritrea-ties-to-al-shabab/4113298.html
  10. https://www.un.int/djibouti/statements_speeches/statement-his-excellency-mr-mohamed-siad-doualeh-security-council-situation-1
  11. https://www.un.int/djibouti/statements_speeches/statement-his-excellency-mr-mohamed-siad-doualeh-security-council-situation-1
  12. http://tass.com/politics/1019451
  13. http://www.voanews.com/author/25229.html
  14. http://amharic.voanews.com/author/25085.html
  15. http://tigrigna.voanews.com/author/25525.html
  16. https://projects.voanews.com/drc-ebola-outbreak/?utm_source=voaprojects
  17. https://projects.voanews.com/ethiopia-unrest/
  18. https://projects.voanews.com/zimbabwe-in-transition/
  19. http://projects.voanews.com/africa-drought/home.php
  20. http://projects.voanews.com/african-presidents/