Updated : PM Abiy Ahmed in Asmara,Eritrea, for a historic visit

borkena
July 8, 2018

Ethiopian Prime minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed reportedly arrived in Asmara, Eritrea, for a historic working visit. He will hold talks with Eritrean president Isayas Afeworki on matters related to bringing a lasting peace between the two countries

Fitsum Arega@fitsumaregaa

Ethiopia did not announce the prime minister’s travel date to Eritrea except saying “the prime minister will be visiting Eritrea soon” after a high level of Eritrean delegation completed a two days working visit to Ethiopia sometime last week.

From pictures showing the streets of Asmara lining up with Eritrean and Ethiopian flags which were released yesterday, many Ethiopians speculated that the prime minister is traveling to Asmara today.

“Welcome Dear Brother Abiy Ahmed” reads one of the banners in the streets of Asmara.

The two years of war between the two countries was one of the deadliest wars in the continent. More than 80,000 soldiers are believed to have died on both sides.

There was a state of “no peace-no war” situation for nearly two decades following the completion of the war which Ethiopian prime minister described rather as years of war with no human casualty. However, sporadic and deadly skirmished has happened during the two decades following the end of the war.

It was at the beginning of last month that the thirty-six members executive committee of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) decided to fully accept and implement the Algiers Peace Agreement of December 2000 which officially ended the war between the two countries.

Weeks after Ethiopia offered an olive branch, Eritrean president Isayas Afeworki sent a high-level delegation to “chart out” the next step of the peace talks.

Ethiopians and Eritreans seem to be excited about the prospect of peace and normalcy between the two countries.

Statements by the two governments after the meeting between PM Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean president Isayas Afeworki tomorrow is expected to give clarity, or at least clue, as to what the next step of the relationship will look like. Hope for economic cooperation between the two countries are high.