File photo: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
Turkey welcomes recent efforts by Ethiopia and Eritrea to restore relations between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
In a written statement, the ministry said: “As a country attaching importance to stability in Africa, Turkey welcomes the steps taken towards the normalization of relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea and the Joint Declaration signed between Eritrea and Ethiopia on 9 July in Asmara, during the visit of H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, to Eritrea.”
The declaration was signed Monday during a landmark summit between the leaders of the two countries in the Eritrean capital.
Ethiopia's prime minister said on Tuesday his government wanted to implement a deal restoring relations with former foe Eritrea quickly, to "make up for lost opportunities" after a two-decade military standoff.Abiy Ahmed signed an agreement with Eritrean President Isaias Afkwerki on Monday, formally declaring the "state of war" between the neighbouring states was over.Ethiopian leader visits Asmara for historic peace talks"My government is keen to implement the terms we laid out in our Joint Declaration so as to quickly make up for lost opportunities and create even better ones for our people", Abiy said in a letter to Isaias that was posted on Twitter by Abiy's chief of staff.
Ethiopia to roll out Eritrea deal fast to 'make up for lost opportunities'
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is on a three-day visit to former rival Eritrea, on Sunday announced that the two countries have agreed to reopen embassies in their capitals and also to resume flights.“We have agreed to resume diplomatic relations; there would no more be the sad memory of war between the governments and peoples of the two countries,” he said at a high-level gathering the Eritrean capital Asmara.Earlier, a few hours after the Prime Minister’s arrival in Asmara, telecommunication services that had been down for more than 20 years has come to life.Upon arrival at the Asmara airport, Ahmed received a rapturous welcome with Eritreans out on the streets singing and chanting, spreading flowers and popcorn on the streets in a typical Eritrean tradition.In May this year, Ethiopia announced that it would implement the December 2000 Algiers agreement and the decisions of the International Boundary Commission.The Algiers agreement came after the two neighbors fought a bloody war from 1998-2000 in which 70,000-80,000 people perished on both sides.The international boundary commission later decided that Badme, a borderland that was a flashpoint of the conflict, belonged to Eritrea while it ruled that Eritrea should compensate Ethiopia for the huge amount of Ethiopian shipment confiscated in Assab Port.Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993.
Ethiopia, Eritrea agree to reopen embassies
Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has become the first head of government to visit Eritrea, breaking away from the “no-peace, no-war” situation that has existed between the neighboring countries for the past two decades.Ahmed arrived in Eritrean capital Asmara for historic peace talks Sunday.The initiative came on the heels of a visit by Eritrea’s high-level delegation to Ethiopia last month, including Yemane Gebreab, President Issaias Afeworki’s special adviser and Foreign Minister Usman Salah.“This visit is part of efforts to normalize relations with Eritrea,” Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Meles Alem told Anadolu Agency. “[The prime minister] is expected to talk with the Eritrean leadership on how to mend fences.”In May, Ethiopia announced it would implement the December 2000 Algiers agreement and the decisions of the International Boundary Commission.The Algiers agreement came after the two neighbors fought a bloody war from 1998-2000 in which 70,000-80,000 people perished on both sides.The international boundary commission later decided that Badme, a borderland that was a flashpoint of the conflict, belonged to Eritrea while it ruled that Eritrea should compensate Ethiopia for the huge amount of Ethiopian shipment confiscated in Assab Port.Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993.
Ethiopian leader visits Asmara for historic peace talks
The “state of war that existed between the two countries has come to an end,” Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane G. Meskel wrote on social media.
“We believe that the normalization of relations between the two neighboring countries and people will support the development and prosperity of both countries and will enable a conducive environment for peace, stability and comprehensive cooperation in the Horn of Africa region,” the ministry statement added.
After Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993, border wars broke out.
Some 70,000-80,000 people were killed on both sides when the two neighbors fought a bloody war in 1998-2000.