ADDIS ABABA (Halbeeg News) – The Italian government has expressed its interest to help build a railway line that will connect Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Prime Minister of Italy Guiseppe Conte confirmed his government’s interest to cover the feasibility study cost for the railway project that links Addis Ababa with the Eritrean port city of Masawa. Conte made the remarks on Monday after meeting Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed who is on an official visit to Rome.
Ethiopian Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the government of Italy for the project.
“We are excited and accept with great honour Italy’s plan to extend support our plan to link Addis Ababa with Massawa via railway,” Prime Minister Abiy said. The distance between Addis Ababa and Massawa is 736 kilometres (457 miles).
Italian PM has also expressed Rome’s plan to extend support to the soldiers returning from the Ethiopia-Eritrea border following the peace agreement between the two eastern African neighbours that fought fierce fight over the border in 1998 to 2000.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace agreement in July last year ending two decades of enmity sparked by a two-year border conflict which broke out in 1998.
The border between Ethiopia and Eritrea were reopened for the first time in 20 years, starting a rapid reconciliation between the former bitter enemies.
The warming of ties in the Horn of Africa has also seen Ethiopia and Eritrea re-open air links, embassies and trade routes.
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