While addressing thousands of troops in the capital, Addis Ababa, for National Army Day, Abiy said "there are fears that Ethiopia may carry out an invasion after our recent strong demand for access to the sea."
"I want to assure that Ethiopia will not pursue its interests through war. We are committed to mutual interest through dialogue and negotiation," Abiy added.
Earlier this month the Ethiopian president said in a televised speech that his nation is one "whose existence was tied to the Red Sea" and that it needed access to a port.
"If we plan to live together in peace, we have to find a way to mutually share from each other in a balanced manner," Abiy said.
Abiy's remarks aroused concerns among observers, particularly against a backdrop of apparent tensions with Eritrea.
Ethiopia lost its coastline after Eritrea formally declared independence in 1993 following a three-decade war.
The Horn of Africa nation had enjoyed direct access to a port in Eritrea until the two countries went to war in 1998-2000 and since then has relied largely on Djibouti for imports and exports.
Abiy won a Nobel Prize in 2019 for his rapprochement the previous year with Eritrea, whose troops later fought alongside Ethiopian government forces in the brutal two-year war in Tigray.
"Ethiopia has never been defeated and will not be defeated in the future," Abiy said on Thursday.
"Ethiopia has never invaded any country and will not do so in the future," he added.
Abiy insisted that "the Ethiopian army does not aim to attack and invade others, but to defend the country."
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