Eritrea president hails unity with Ethiopia on historic visit
There were also banners and pictures of the two leaders who on Monday signed a declaration declaring an official end to the war.
"Welcome home President Isaias!!" Abiy's chief of staff Fitsum Arega wrote on Twitter as the Eritrean leader arrived.
Eritrea
was once part of Ethiopia and comprised its entire coastline on the Red
Sea until it voted for independence in 1993 after decades of bloody
conflict.
The move left Ethiopia landlocked, and the
deterioration of relations after the outbreak of the war in 1998 forced
Addis Ababa to channel its sea trade through Djibouti.
The two countries have shown little signs of rapprochement since the signing of the Algiers peace agreement in 2000 after a conflict which left 80,000 people dead before settling into a bitter cold war.
- Whirlwind reforms -
Analysts
say the surprisingly rapid burying of the hatchet was possible only
because of Abiy's ascension to the post of prime minister in April.
As
part of a whirlwind set of reforms, Abiy announced last month that
Ethiopia would abide by a 2002 UN-backed ruling and hand back disputed
border territory to Eritrea, including the flashpoint town of Badme.
However Ethiopia has not announced the pull-out of troops from the area.
Abiy
then paid a historic visit to Eritrea, where the two leaders announced
the re-establishment of diplomatic and trade ties that could mean big
benefits for both nations, and the wider Horn of Africa region, plagued
by conflict and poverty.
The emotional reunion between the two
countries has allowed residents to speak to each other by telephone for
the first time in two decades as communication lines were re-opened.
Direct flights are due to start next week.
"Can
one find appropriate words to describe the intensity of popular
emotions that has gripped both countries; the depth and significance of
the promising changes underway in the region!" Eritrean Information
Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said on Twitter after Isaias arrived.
Ethiopia's
state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate said Isaias would stay
three days during which the Eritrean embassy would be reopened and his
delegation would visit an industrial park.
A state dinner in his honour will be held on Sunday.
- Catalyst for change -
Eritrea and Ethiopia are both among Africa's poorest nations.
However,
Ethiopia has seen double-digit growth in recent years and is seeking
wider options for importing and exporting its goods by eyeing ports in
Somalia and Eritrea.
Meanwhile Eritrea, one of the world's most
isolated nations, has pursued policies that have hamstrung the economy
by scaring off investors, including an indefinite military conscription
programme the UN has likened to slavery.
Amnesty International
said Saturday that the newfound peace should be a catalyst for change in
Eritrea, where thousands of people, including rights activists and
opposition politicians are "languishing in detention simply for
expressing their views."
"The end of hostilities with Ethiopia is
a joyous moment for Eritreans, but it must be followed by tangible
reforms that make a real difference in the daily lives of the people and
put an end to decades of repression in the country," said Seif Magango,
AI's deputy director for the region.
In a statement he said
Eritrea was the biggest jailer of journalists on the continent, and that
its last independent media house was shut down 17 years ago.
Amnesty
also called for an end to forced military conscription, seen as a key
driver of the departure of hundreds of thousands of Eritreans from their
country.
Eritrea president hails unity with Ethiopia on historic visit
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki pledged to resolve his country's dispute with Ethiopia on Saturday in a historic visit to Addis Ababa aimed at cementing peace less than a week after the nations declared an end to their two decades of conflict.