The recently signed maritime access pact between Ethiopia and the Somali breakaway region of Somaliland is unacceptable, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said Sunday after talks with his Somali counterpart in Cairo.
The North African leader stressed that his country rejects any violation of Somalia's territorial integrity.
Cairo adheres to the principle of non-interference, but if Mogadishu asks for it, it will have to intervene, the Egyptian president added.
In early January, a pact was signed between Ethiopia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Somaliland, giving Ethiopia access to the Red Sea, and causing discontent with Somalia, which called the deal an act of "aggression" and a violation of its sovereignty.
Somali President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, threatened to use all means to prevent Ethiopia from accessing the sea at the expense of territory Somalia considers its own. On January 7, he signed a law "nullifying" the Ethiopia-Somaliland port pact.
On January 8, Ethiopia and Somaliland held negotiations on developing military cooperation, the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) stated.