With hugs, the rulers of Ethiopia's rivals, Eritrea finally meet

With laughter and hugs, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea met for the first time in nearly two decades on Sunday in a quick and dramatic diplomatic thaw aimed at ending one of the longest conflicts in Africa. New Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in the capital of Eritrea and a live broadcast of Eritrean public television showed President Isaias Afwerki welcoming him to the airport in unthinkable scenes a few months before. "A fraternal embrace," the Eritrean Minister of Information said on Twitter, sharing photos.

The crowds danced and sang for the rulers, and the streets of Asmara were paved with Ethiopian and Eritrean flags. Abiy and Afwerki crossed the capital in a large procession where people sported T-shirts with their photos. The leaders then met one-on-one with a smiling Abiyou leaning towards Afwerki under a wall hung on their portraits

The visit comes a month after Abiy surprised people by fully accepting an agreement to peace that ended a two-year border. war between the two nations of East Africa that killed tens of thousands. Ethiopia and Eritrea have not had diplomatic relations since the beginning of the war in 1998, Abiy himself fighting in a city that remains disputed today, and the countries have been swindled since.

Abiy's chief of state, Fitsum Arega, said on Twitter the visit aims to "deepen efforts to bring about lasting peace". He shared pictures of the leaders' meeting and said that Abiy was "very warmly welcomed" by Afwerki, 72 years old.

"Our two nations share an unparalleled history and connection," he said. "We can now overcome two decades of mistrust and move in a new direction."

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described this visit as "an effort to normalize relations with Eritrea" and said that Abiyi was to discuss with "

An Eritrean diplomat, his Ambbadador to Japan, Estifanos Afeworki, said on Twitter that "no leader has received such a warm welcome, as today, in Asmara in the history of". Eritrea.

the meeting, which was broadcast live by Ethiopian public television

"History … the beginning of the end, the glbad ceiling was broken," wrote a resident, Shewit Wudbadie, on Facebook. Another Facebook user, Djphat Su, wrote: "Am I dreaming or what?"

The decision to fully accept the peace agreement was the largest and most surprising reform announced by the 42-year-old Ethiopian Prime Minister. in April and quickly unleashed a wave of reforms, releasing journalists and opposition figures, opening up the state economy and unlocking hundreds of websites after years of anti-government protests demanding more of Freedoms

. The announcement noted "positive signals" from Ethiopia and sent the first official delegation in two decades to "evaluate current developments directly and in-depth" to plan next steps. Ethiopia took advantage of this visit to announce that the flagship Ethiopian Airlines would soon begin its flights to Eritrea and Abiy has already expressed interest in Ethiopia's access to Eritrean ports

while Ethiopia is the second most populous nation in Africa. growing economies, tiny Eritrea is one of the most closed nations in the world, ruled by Afwerki since its independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after years of rebel war. Both countries share close cultural ties.

Eritrea has become a major source of migrants fleeing to Europe, Israel and African nations in recent years as human rights groups criticize its harsh laws on military conscription. Observers of the diplomatic thaw have asked if peace with Ethiopia would lead Eritrea to relax and abandon its long defensive stance.

"Reconciliation would deprive President Isaias of an excuse for keeping his country in a state of permanent military readiness" Martin Plaut, author of "Understanding Eritrea" and principal investigator at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of University of London

Abiy broke a long deadlock between Afwerki and Tigrayan's ruling party in Ethiopia's ruling coalition. "Abiy represents the majority of the Ethiopians rather than the Tigrayan ethnic group" and is not indebted to him, said Plaut, adding that Afwerki accepted the gesture of peace "since it allowed him to present him as a triumph over his Tigrian rivals. " [19659002] Not everyone has welcomed the peace agreement of Ethiopia, some residents of the Tigray region in the north, bordering Eritrea, protesting.

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