Ethiopia has elevated access to the sea from a policy objective to a national doctrine.
Speaking before the House of People’s Representatives on Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Gedion Timothewos declared that Ethiopia’s quest for sea access is a strategic priority that transcends politics, governments, and generations.
Responding to lawmakers, Gedion said Addis Ababa has already succeeded in placing its case firmly on the international agenda, arguing that Ethiopia’s demand is legitimate, unavoidable, and rooted in long-term national survival, not short-term diplomacy.
“We have moved beyond simply explaining why Ethiopia needs sea access,” the minister said. “We are now actively pursuing ways to secure it.”
Gedion acknowledged the intense geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa, where global and regional powers are racing to protect their interests. He said Ethiopia is navigating this landscape deliberately, aligning its diplomacy strictly with national interests.
The foreign minister stressed that improving relations with neighboring countries is central to the strategy, pointing to regional infrastructure projects — including electricity exports, railways, and cross-border development — as tools to create a favorable environment for achieving sea access.
Most notably, Gedion framed the issue not as a partisan debate, but as a generational obligation.
“This is not the agenda of one government,” he told parliament. “It is the agenda of Ethiopia.”
The message was unmistakable: landlocked status is no longer acceptable to Africa’s second-most populous nation — and Ethiopia is preparing, diplomatically and strategically, for a future in which access to the sea is treated as a right, not a favor.
