CAIRO: Egypt has ordered an adviser at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo to leave the country, in a reciprocal move after Ethiopia expelled a member of the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Addis Ababa.
An Egyptian official described Ethiopia’s decision to declare the Egyptian diplomat persona non grata as “regrettable” and unjustified.
The official said Egypt has consistently maintained its rejection of interference in the internal affairs of other countries and has refrained from commenting on domestic developments in other states, including Ethiopia, in accordance with international law and the United Nations Charter.
The official accused Ethiopia of repeatedly blaming external actors for what he described as failures in managing successive domestic crises.
“Applying the principle of reciprocity, the adviser at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo has been declared persona non grata and given 48 hours to leave the country,” the official said.
Al Arabiya learned that the Ethiopian embassy adviser ordered to leave Egypt is Agazi Melo Brogoy.
Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry had earlier ordered an Egyptian diplomat serving at Cairo’s embassy in Addis Ababa to leave the country.
In a statement, the ministry said it had declared the Egyptian diplomat, a member of the embassy’s diplomatic staff, persona non grata and ordered his departure within 48 hours, according to a diplomatic note sent to the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian authorities said the decision was taken under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which allows a host country to declare a member of a diplomatic mission persona non grata without providing detailed reasons.
The reciprocal expulsions come amid continued diplomatic and regional tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa, with several longstanding disputes between the two countries remaining unresolved.
The latest escalation follows another diplomatic dispute just days earlier, when Cairo dismissed accusations by Ethiopia’s military chief that Egypt was supporting armed groups fighting government forces in the country.
The official account of Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ambassador Nader Zaki said Egypt’s foreign policy was based on firm principles, including respect for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of other states, as well as a commitment to non-interference in their internal affairs.
“Therefore, any allegations questioning Egypt’s commitment to these established principles are as good as nonexistent,” he said.
Egypt’s response followed remarks by Ethiopian Chief of General Staff Field Marshal Berhanu Jula, who accused Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea of supporting armed groups fighting government forces in northern Ethiopia.
Jula said Ethiopian forces were confronting organized and allied groups that were serving the interests of external powers seeking to undermine the country.
