Senior Eritrean delegation meets with United States (US) officials

A senior Eritrean delegation led by Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met yesterday in Washington with Ms. Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and Mr. Frank Garcia, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

In the meeting with the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Minister Osman welcomed the removal of unilateral sanctions, describing it as a positive and vital step towards opening a new chapter in Eritrea–US relations.

Minister Osman stressed that Eritrea’s objective is to establish the basis for constructive, mutually beneficial and genuine partnership in the period ahead. He said that the new chapter should enable the two countries to make up for missed opportunities, enhance trade and investment, and explore and pursue new prospects for genuine partnership that avoids structural dependency.

Minister Osman also referred to the need for a further review of the unwarranted pressure policies pursued by previous administrations. He elaborated on Eritrea’s modest and constructive role in promoting peace, stability and security in its immediate and wider neighbourhood, encompassing the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the Nile Basin and the wider Gulf region. The Minister expressed Eritrea’s earnest hope to develop collaborative efforts with the US in these areas, as well as through the mechanisms of cooperation established by the littoral states.

For her part, the Under Secretary for Political Affairs underlined that the lifting of the sanctions stemmed from President Trump’s commitment to nurturing bilateral partnerships based on mutual benefit. She said that this would contribute to developing warm ties of cooperation between the two countries. Ms. Hooker further remarked on the broad convergence of the main themes of cooperation envisaged by the two sides during these initial and preliminary meetings.

The meeting with the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mr. Frank Garcia, likewise focused on broadly similar themes. The two sides agreed that future talks would focus on more substantive and concrete consultations on the promotion of trade and investment, regional peace and stability, and the resolution of pending matters through constructive dialogue.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.