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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki landed in the Ethiopian capital on Saturday morning, following the groundbreaking trip of his Ethiopian counterpart to Asmara this week amidst the warm ties between the once rival nations.
After a two-year war and an 18-year stalemate, the two countries suddenly agreed to restore diplomatic relations, end the state of war and restore broken transport links since the month last by the Ethiopians. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
Sign of the new coordination of the two countries, the visit was announced on Twitter at about the same time and the streets of Addis Ababa were decorated with Eritrean and Ethiopian flags, side by side. [19659004] Isaias was greeted at the Addis Ababa airport by a military band and traditional dancers, as Abiy had been in the Eritrean capital. Supporters marched through the streets of Addis Ababa, waving the flags of both countries and chanting anti-war slogans. Eritrean state television has transposed the flags on images of doves of peace.
The two leaders signed Monday a five-point peace agreement and now the roads will be reopened, telephone connections restored and Ethiopian Airlines First flight to Asmara in 20 years
After decades of hostility, the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen said that the time was up to peace
"Now I am optimistic.We have all learned a lot and I think it [Isaias] is also very determined to go to the end, "he told the Washington Post in an interview," We paid a lot, both of us. "
[‘Like a dream’: Families separated for decades by Ethiopia-Eritrea conflict celebrate peace deal]
Eritrea fought for its independence from the 39, Ethiopia for 30 years, Isaias being a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Eritrea (FPLE) before becoming president after his independence in 1993. After the fall of the communist-led government, the leaders of the 39, Eritrea and Ethiopia e fell in the 1990s because of the demarcation of the border and economic problems like currency.
same questions that were at the base of the original break. "In such conditions, it is best to start with the simplest," said Demeke, explaining that the border and the economy would be addressed later
The breakthrough in relations seemed to come when Abiy on June 5 agreed to implement the 2002 Arbitration Agreement that ended the war and granted key border territories to Eritrea, such as the town of Badme. Two weeks later, Isaias reacted favorably, and relations took off
According to Kjetil Tronvoll, an expert on the conflict at Bjorknes University College in Oslo, he may have been more of a problem. Abiy himself only from his offer. The conflict between the two countries was somehow a personal conflict between Isaias and Meles Zenawi, a former Ethiopian prime minister who died in 2012.
The rise of Abiy's power was accompanied by the marginalization of the dominant faction of Meles. Tronvoll explains, "Basically, in the mindset of Isaias and EPLF, he won the war, he got Badme and TPLF. has "lost power" in Ethiopia, "he said. "Isaias is the" last man standing "- and he proved to them that his strategy was the right one."
In his speech accepting the opening of Abiy, Isaias exulted about what he saw as the rejection by the Ethiopian people of the TPLF. 19659017] "But even if it will take time and effort to eliminate the toxic and malignant legacy of the TPLF and to create a favorable climate, the positive direction that has been put in place is very clear", he declared. "The TPLF clique, and other vultures, are stunned by the changes underway."
The TPLF initially reacted with apparent opposition to Abiy's proposals, insisting that he should be involved in any peace agreement with Eritrea. statement in support of the agreement signed in Asmara
A standardization between the two countries will be a major badet for both, especially in cross-border trade. It also resolves the persistent problem of access to the Red Sea of Ethiopia, from which it was cut after the independence of Eritrea.
[Eritrea breaks silence and responds to Ethiopia peace overtures, will send delegation]
Currently, 95% of Ethiopia's foreign trade goes through the neighboring Djibouti port, with all sorts of bottlenecks. Since coming to power, Abiy has signed a number of agreements with neighboring Somalia, Somaliland, Kenya and Sudan to diversify access to the port for the industrial economy based on the 39, export that Ethiopia hopes to become
The Eritrean ports of Mbadawa and Assab are well placed to be the gateway to future Ethiopian exports
Ethiopia has also requested that the UN sanctions that it helped to put in place against Eritrea be lifted to support the Somali Islamist movement. At the beginning of his term, Isaias was considered an inspirational figure in Africa, avoiding the cult of the common personality elsewhere on the continent. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton during his African tour in 1998 as one of the leaders of the African renaissance.
In the aftermath of the war with Ethiopia and following criticism of his treatment, Isaias purged The ruling party officials closed the press and suspended many democratic provisions of the Constitution.
Reporters Without Borders regularly ranks press freedom in the country as the worst in the world, below North Korea. A 2015 UN report described "systematic, widespread and egregious violations of human rights committed in Eritrea" and "some of these violations may constitute crimes against humanity".
Read more:
After 20 years military Ethiopia decides to lift the state of emergency two months earlier as tensions relax
Ethiopia is willing to implement the peace agreement with Eritrea and privatize parts of the economy
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