[ad_1]
Peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea ends, ending two decades of animosity between the two neighbors caused by a fierce border war that has made more than 80,000 dead.
Othman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Waiman Djibril, advisor to President Isaias Afewerki, arrived in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on June 26 aboard an Emirates flight. They were met by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and senior officials in the fields of culture, sport and religion.
President Afewerki reacted by sending "positive signals" from 42-year-old Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. A few weeks ago, Abiy Ahmed said that his country was ready to implement the peace treaty signed in 2000 between Addis Ababa and Asmara in Algeria and the conclusions of the independent international working committee on border demarcation in 2002. [19659002] Eritrea declared its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a conflict between the two ruling parties in those countries to overthrow the Ethiopian communist regime led by Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam (1974-1991). All ties, diplomatic, economic and otherwise, have been broken since the 1998-2000 war.
A remarkable change swept through Addis Ababa, with Ethiopian and Eritrean flags fluttering side by side along the airport road to the guest. residence, with billboards welcoming visitors printed in both Tigrinya and Amharic languages.
The two sides held historical talks, after which Abiy Ahmed declared that the flights would resume in the Eritrean cities. "I say to all Ethiopians who want to travel to Mbadawa (the Eritrean port) for tourism, to start packing because the flights will start soon," he said.
Saleh of Eritrea said: Peoples and generations have been separated for a long time. After much suffering, we opened the doors to peace. "
Abiy Ahmed hoped that the conflict would end and reiterated his willingness to accept the transfer of control over disputed territories." Land between the two countries will be exchanged, but this is not important . There will be no boundaries between us because our relationships will grow stronger, "he said at a state dinner.
The conciliation between the two seems to go very far. The FANA national broadcast authority in Ethiopia announced Friday that Abiy Ahmed will meet Aferwerki soon, which would end the longest conflict in Africa.
Since coming to power, Abiy Ahmed has focused on solving the domestic and international problems of his country.
He released political prisoners, met opposition leaders, visited the Oromo region where he announced that he will listen to the complaints of people who fought with the government for many years.
Abiy Ahmed also took steps to liberate the economy of this fast growing country. For a decade, economic growth in Ethiopia remains the highest in the continent at 10 percent.
Under former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia received $ 6 billion in foreign direct investment focused on textile and leather production. in this country with the second largest population on the continent.
The government refused, however, to open communications and the financial sectors because the domestic economy was not ready.
overseas, Abiy Ahmed visited Sudan and Egypt In Cairo, he tried to rebadure leaders on the fact that the Egyptian quota of Nile water will not be affected, and the talks between Abiy Ahmed and President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi looks positive despite the cautious statements of the two leaders.
Abiy Ahmed also reached out to the former Ethiopian foe and He launched a joint initiative to develop Somali ports in order to diversify Ethiopia's access to the world because its Country is landlocked and depends almost entirely on access by President Siad Barre abroad in 1991. Djibouti via a railway network that China is in the process of reshaping. Peace with Eritrea will open another port for Ethiopia.
Abiy Ahmed's efforts will not be easy despite his courage. Some doubt his intentions and accuse him of treason by seeking peace with a sworn enemy
Critics do not want to compromise the beleaguered Eritrea and end its isolation to which Addis Ababa largely contributed. They also want to take advantage of the tensions in the Arabian Gulf since Asmara supports the Arab coalition in the war against Yemen and four countries boycotting Qatar.
In fact, Afewerki was one of the first in the region to support Qatar. to boycott and support the Egyptian rulers since the revolution of June 30.
These positions helped to end the isolation of Eritrea, which lasted more than a decade, but that would not be enough if the conflict with Ethiopia continued. After the beginning of reconciliation, Ethiopia's experienced diplomacy will also focus on a parallel series of complex discussions on the Renaissance Dam with Egypt and Sudan
. tensions remain on this front and others, the general atmosphere of peace and conciliation that the young Ethiopian prime minister has launched will be difficult to reverse
* A version of this article is printed in the July 5, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Train of Peace for Ethiopia and Eritrea
Shortlink:
[19659029]
[ad_2]
Source link
