Djibouti Foreign Minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf has met with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry in Djibouti in a meeting meant to discuss the security of the Red Sea and the larger Horn of Africa region.
The meeting also tackled a number of regional issues, such as the situation in the Horn of Africa and the Eritrean-Djibouti relations. The two ministers stressed the importance of maintaining stability and achieving integration in the region by supporting cooperation programs.
The strategic location of Djibouti especially proximity to the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden makes the country very well suited for enhanced cooperation with the Arab league and especially Egypt. Last December, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a new “grouping” of the Red Sea and Horn of Africa states with a view to furthering economic, environmental and security-related cooperation between members. Along with Saudi Arabia, the group includes Egypt, Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia.
Djibouti has been a very active player in stabilizing the Horn of Africa seeing as Camp Lemonnier the primary base of operations for U.S. Africa Command in the Horn of Africa and the only permanent US base in Africa is located in the country.