The Egyptian city of El Alamein on the North Coast will host on Sunday a “quadrilateral summit” bringing together the leaders of Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia, on the sidelines of the “El Alamein-Africa Forum” meetings, to coordinate on security developments in the “Horn of Africa” region.

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement on Saturday that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will participate in the “Al-Alamein Consultative Summit,” which will also bring together the leaders of Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki, Sudan’s General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, noting that “the summit comes within the framework of consultation and coordination on regional issues of common interest.”

The summit comes at a time when the Horn of Africa region is witnessing escalating security developments related to the conflicts in Ethiopia and their impact on neighboring countries.

On the eve of the summit, the Egyptian president held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Eritrea and Somalia, on the sidelines of the “El Alamein-Africa Forum,” and discussed with them “regional developments, especially in the Horn of Africa,” according to the Egyptian presidency.

During his meeting with the Eritrean president, Sisi affirmed his country's "full support for the security and stability of Eritrea, and respect for its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity," and stressed his country's "categorical rejection of any violation of the sovereignty of states or infringement on their territorial unity, in contravention of the principles of international law and the Constitutive Act of the African Union."

According to the Egyptian Presidency, Sisi affirmed “his country’s keenness to continue coordination and consultation with Eritrea on regional issues of common interest, in order to contribute to strengthening stability in the Horn of Africa, supporting efforts to resolve crises by peaceful means, and enhancing cooperation to achieve security and stability in the Red Sea.”

The same message was confirmed by the Egyptian President during his meeting with his Somali counterpart, and he stressed “Cairo’s constant positions supporting Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, and supporting its national institutions.” Sisi called for “strengthening national consensus among the various Somali components, in a way that supports the unity of the state, maintains its stability and spares it from security challenges.”

The four-way consultative summit in El Alamein focuses on developments in the Horn of Africa and the repercussions of the internal armed conflict in Ethiopia on neighboring countries, according to Ambassador Salah Halima, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, who said that “the El Alamein summit comes to confirm the solidarity of the four countries regarding the threats facing that region, and to enhance coordination to preserve its stability.”

Halima told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the summit will focus on the challenges facing the Horn of Africa region, especially those related to unilateral actions on the Nile River and their impact on Egyptian water security, and attempts by countries, including Ethiopia, to gain access to the Red Sea,” noting that “Cairo aims to strengthen coordination with those countries to ensure restraint and prevent escalation, and to contain existing conflicts, based on international charters and laws.”

During his meeting with the Egyptian president, the Eritrean president affirmed "a great consensus between Cairo and his country regarding regional developments, especially with regard to the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and not to interfere in their internal affairs," according to the Egyptian presidency.

The four-way meeting in El Alamein comes at an important time when the region is facing challenges in maritime routes, according to former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister, Ambassador Hossam Issa. He said that “the meeting must come out with a clear message against any attempts to ignite the situation in a region that cannot bear more regional or internal conflicts,” noting that “instability does not only affect the parties to the conflict, but extends to the geographical and also international environment.”

In statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, Issa affirms that “the meetings of the Egyptian president with the leaders of Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan are not directed against anyone,” but rather aim to “coordinate and consult to protect the safety of those regional countries and to confront the movements of any separatist entities in the region.” He said that the recent developments in Ethiopia and in the southern Red Sea “necessitate continuous coordination between Cairo and these countries.”