Experts believe the 38th African Union Summit presents a valuable opportunity to advocate for Ethiopia's access to the sea. They spoke with a local media, emphasizing the importance of leveraging this summit to secure Ethiopia's national interests.
Specifically, they suggested that Ethiopia should use the summit to highlight its just and collaborative development aspirations regarding sea access, alongside the AU's main agenda items. Mulualem Hailmariam, a lecturer in Political Science and International Relations at Wachemo University, advised this approach.
Dereje Fikre, a lecturer in Political Science at Jimma University, similarly highlighted the summit as an opportune moment to advance Ethiopia's pursuit of sea access. He stressed that Ethiopia's journey to secure sea access aligns with the AU's values of collaborative development, urging that the issue be made a key part of the African agenda.
According to FBC, the experts also recommended employing multilateral diplomacy and engaging in side consultations to encourage various African nations to consider this issue.