Fiqi meets with the President of Eritrea

The Minister of Defense of the Federal Government of Somalia, Ahmed Macallin Fiqi, accompanied by the commander of the Somali Air Force, Gen. Abdirisaq Mahmud Haji, met with the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki.

A statement from the Somali government said, "The meeting was one of respect and mutual greetings, with the leaders of both sides expressing the importance of the relationship and cooperation between Somalia and Eritrea."

This meeting was a precursor to a meeting that President Hassan Sheikh and Isaias Afwerki will hold in the city of Al-Calamayn in Egypt.

The meeting between the Somali leaders and the President of Eritrea comes at a time when regional tensions are at a critical point, and just days before, the embassies exchanged accusations between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopia has accused Eritrea and Egypt of supporting groups fighting in the northern part of the country, which now seem to have overcome the government of Abiy Ahmed.