Egypt expels Ethiopian diplomat in retaliatory move

CAIRO - Egypt declared an Ethiopian diplomat persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country in retaliation for Ethiopia’s expulsion of an Egyptian diplomat, the state news agency MENA reported Thursday.

A senior Egyptian official told MENA that Cairo regretted Ethiopia’s decision to declare a diplomat serving at the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa persona non grata.

The official said Egypt firmly rejects interference in other countries’ internal affairs and maintains a policy of refraining from commenting on domestic developments in Ethiopia and elsewhere in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

Under the principle of reciprocity, Egypt declared a counselor at the Ethiopian Embassy in Cairo persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 48 hours, the official said.

MENA identified the counselor as Egazi Emelo Borougi.

“The Ethiopian side has a history of attributing its failures in managing its internal affairs and its successive crises to alleged foreign interference, thereby concealing its ongoing problems,” the official said.

Ethiopia earlier ordered the closure of its embassy in the Eritrean capital Asmara and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats serving in Addis Ababa persona non grata.

It subsequently declared a diplomat at the Egyptian Embassy in Addis Ababa persona non grata and gave him a deadline to leave the country.