ASMARA (Halbeeg)- Ethiopian Prime Minister, Dr. Ahmed Abiye become the first Ethiopian leader to visit Eritrea since the tiny nation successfully broke away from Ethiopia’s mainland in 1991.
Dr. Abiy’s visit to Ethiopia’s neighbouring and archenemy was termed unprecedented milestone that could bring an end to one of the longest military standoff in the region.
A live broadcast by Eritrean State Television showed Isaias Afwerki, the Eritrean president greeting Dr. Abiy at the airport in scenes unthinkable few months ago.
The two men were welcomed by women in traditional dress waving palm fronds as well as rows of officials before they retired to the airport VIP lounge and sat beneath portraits of themselves sipping juice.
Before departing from the airport, Abiy waded into the crowd of welcoming women and exchanged hugs.
A convoy of vehicles carrying the two leaders headed the presidential palace of Eritrea.
This rare summit between the leaders of Eritrea and Ethiopia is aiming at strengthening efforts to end and “to set the tone for rapid, positive changes.”
IGAD Welcomes the meeting
They will hold discussions on efforts to achieve a lasting peace, as well as ways to revive the common history and the link between peoples, interrupted for decades of rupture at the political and economic level.
Last month, the two States began tentative steps to end a border dispute that led to a bloody war from 1998 to 2000, with an estimated of 70,000 people killed.
The historic meeting of Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders hailed by the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Mahboub Maalim.
In a press statement, Mahboub said the normalization of bilateral ties would benefit the peoples of the two countries and would contribute to the realization of the shared aspiration of peace and integration in the East African region and the African continent.
The two are among the member states of the Eastern African bloc.
Ethiopia and Eritrea have not had diplomatic ties since the war began in 1998 over a town that remains contested today, and the countries have skirmished since then in one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts
Discussion about this post