By Viola Fahmy

CAIRO 

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Djibouti on Thursday discussed the security of the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa region.

Sameh Shoukry and Mahmoud Ali Youssouf met on the sidelines of a preparatory meeting in Addis Ababa for an upcoming African Union summit.

According to an Egyptian Foreign Ministry statement, the two men discussed “the situation in the Horn of Africa, relations between Eritrea and Djibouti, developments in Yemen and Somalia, and the issue of Red Sea security”.

During their brief tete-a-tete, the two ministers also reportedly stressed the importance of “maintaining regional stability while pursuing joint development programs”.

Last December, Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a new “grouping” of 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.