After Russia’s attack on Ukrainian territories, the council voted to condemn the actions of the former state. However, not all member nations were unanimous in this decision. According to Pamuk and Landy (2022), out of 193 countries, only 141 voted to support U. N.’s statement about Russia’s actions. Eritrea was one of the states that supported Russia in the U.N. This paper will discuss the ties between Eritrea and Russia and the factors that have influenced Eritrea’s vote.
The diplomatically stated reason for this decision was the ties between the presidents of Eritrea and Russia. The purpose of this vote and the Eritrean government’s support for Russia are integral parts of President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea’s decades-long anti-American strategy, which is a foundational aspect of his dictatorship (Ghebrezghiabher & Gerhelase, 2022). The United States has considered Eritrea’s costs crucial to the government’s efforts toward combatting terrorism. Eritrea’s government, on the other hand, did not support this approach and had an anti-American policy established.
Historically, there has been a link between Eritrea and Russia, which might have affected the former’s decision on the vote at U.N. According to Ghebrezghiabher and Gerhelase (2022), the only African nation to vote against the resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its armed forces from Ukraine was Eritrea, making it clear that Eritrea supports Russia. Before Eritrea’s president, Afwerki, converted himself from a guerilla leader into an all-powerful autocrat, Eritrea and the United States had a friendly, cooperative relationship after Eritrea gained its independence in 1993 (Ghebrezghiabher & Gerhelase, 2022). In addition to aggressively encouraging Eritrea’s breakaway from Ethiopia, it also intended to enact neo-liberal economic principles. Thus, Eritrea’s president and its government have their political agenda linked to the territories and political influence within Africa.
Russia and Eritrea have been long cooperating and have had strong political ties for decades. Senior U.S. military generals, including the head of the Central Command, General Tommy Franks, visited Eritrea as part of the two nations’ cooperation to pacify the Horn of Africa (Ghebrezghiabher & Gerhelase, 2022). Additionally, President Afwerki developed strong links with Israel and decided to obtain medical attention in Jerusalem. He was repeatedly charged in Arab media with permitting the Israeli navy to operate out of the Dahlak Islands and to keep an intelligence base atop a mountain range on the mainland.
Thus, in this U.N. vote, Eritrea’s representative cited that they do not consider Russia’s territorial claims to be unfair. Despite having nothing in the way of significant economic or security links with Moscow, Eritrea has continuously maintained pro-Russian attitudes on a variety of subjects. After Russia took Crimea in 2014, Eritrea was the first nation to dispatch a foreign minister there (Ghebrezghiabher & Gerhelase, 2022). The president of Russia recently decided to disregard Afwerki’s offer for a base in the port of Assab following the withdrawal of UAE forces in favor of moving forward with his quest to secure a base in Port Sudan that June. This choice demonstrates Afwerki’s intention to keep things hostile with the United States and prevent outside meddling in his oppressive internal policies, which is crucial for his domestic goal.
In summary, by a vote, the U.N. Security Council denounced Russia for its conduct in Ukraine. One of the African countries that voted against the resolution was Eritrea. This essay will go through the connections between Eritrea and Russia as well as the influences on Eritrea’s vote. Despite having no meaningful economic or security ties to Moscow, Eritrea’s envoy to the U.N. voted in favor of Russia’s plan to establish a facility in Port Sudan. Eritrea has consistently supported Russia in a range of contexts.
References
Ghebrezghiabher, H. & Gerhelase, T. (2022). Eritrea: Supporting Russia to stay in power. Washington Institute. Web.
Pamuk, H. & Landy, J. (2022). U.N. General Assembly in historic vote denounces Russia over Ukraine invasion. Reuters.Web.