Eritrea FM meets UN political chief on Horn peace and security

NEW YORK — Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh has met United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo on the margins of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, with discussions focused on peace and security in the Horn of Africa.

DiCarlo confirmed the meeting in a post on Saturday, saying the two discussed the regional peace-and-security situation and “the need to advance peace through dialogue.”

The meeting places Eritrea in direct consultation with the senior UN official responsible for the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, whose work includes preventive diplomacy, mediation and efforts to prevent and resolve conflict.

DiCarlo has held a series of meetings with national delegations during UNGA81 high-level week as part of the UN’s wider diplomatic engagement on international and regional peace and security issues. The UN department said her engagements during the week were aimed at supporting conflict resolution, preventive diplomacy and mediation.

The talks come amid heightened attention to security developments across the Horn of Africa. Earlier this week, a UN spokesperson expressed concern over the worsening security situation in Ethiopia, including reports of continued insecurity and drone strikes, and called on stakeholders to avoid further escalation and return to dialogue.

Neither DiCarlo nor the Eritrean side publicly disclosed whether individual conflicts or bilateral disputes were discussed during their meeting.

The available readout makes no specific reference to Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea-Ethiopia relations or Red Sea security.

Osman Saleh has held a series of diplomatic meetings during UNGA81. He also met UN Secretary-General António Guterres on September 23, according to the Secretary-General’s official website, which listed their meeting among his high-level engagements in New York.

The latest meeting adds to Eritrea’s diplomatic engagement at the UN during a General Assembly session taking place amid renewed concern over instability and conflict across several parts of the wider region.