WITH hugs and cheers, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea have met for the first time in more than 20 years amid a recent thawing in relations between the two long-time East African rivals.
In a landmark visit, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed landed in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on Sunday, for a bilateral summit, aimed at repairing relations between the two countries, Aljazeera said.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki warmly greeted Abiy at the airport, Eritrea’s state television showed.
“A truly historic moment with memorable watershed events: brotherly embrace of the leaders,” said Yemane G Meskel, Eritrea’s minister of information, on Twitter, adding that Ethiopian Airlines landed in Asmara for the first time in 20 years.
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The visit comes a month after Abiy surprised people by fully accepting a peace deal that ended a two-year border war between the two countries.
A high-level Eritrean delegation led by Foreign Minister Osman Saleh had earlier visited the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, last month for peace talks.
This week’s summit aims to “further deepen efforts to bring about lasting peace,” said Abiy’s chief of staff, Fitsum Arega.
“Our two nations share a history and bond like no other,” he said on Twitter. “We can now overcome two decades of mistrust and move in a new direction.”
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