JEDDAH (Halbeeg News) – Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday met with President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh to discuss means of enhancing cooperation between the two countries.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the pair met in the Saudi city of Jeddah to “review the prospects for improved bilateral cooperation and discuss the latest regional and international developments”.
Monday’s meeting was also attended by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair and Djiboutian counterpart Mahmoud Ali Yusuf, according to the SPA.
Guelleh was the third African head of state to meet with the Saudi monarch within the last 24 hours.
On Sunday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki were both in Jeddah to sign a historic peace agreement under the patronage of the Saudi king.
In an earlier statement, Guelleh had hailed King Salman’s Ethiopia-Eritrea peace initiative, which, he said, “seeks to establish a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Horn of Africa region”.
Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993. From 1998 to 2000, the two neighbors fought a bloody conflict in which tens of thousands of people — on both sides — are believed to have perished.
In an April inaugural address, the Ethiopian PM offered an olive branch to the Eritrean president, ending two decades of hostile relations.
The two African leaders then met in July, where they vowed to restore bilateral relations. Shortly afterward, Eritrea reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa.
And last week, Ethiopia reciprocated, reopening its embassy in Asmara after a 20-year hiatus.
Anadolu Agency
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