Ethiopia, Eritrea to Reopen Land Border

27 MARCH 2021

The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa)

BY BILAL DERSO

ADDIS ABABA- Ethiopia and Eritrea have agreed to reopen land border aim at strengthening people to people ties at the border areas . The two sisterly countries have also renewed commitment to bilateral partnership and the joint strategic development programmes.

After the two-days of regular, consultative, meetings of both countries' leaders in Asmara, the two sides issued statements yesterday.

In his statement,Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), announced that Ethiopia and Eritrea will continue strengthening their bilateral relations and economic cooperation ambitions. "We will continue building on the spirit of trust and good neighborliness between our two countries as embarked upon in 2018."

According to the premier , particular attention has been given to restoring trust-based people- to- people relations among the Tigray State of Ethiopia and fellow Eritreans across the border.

Recalling the TPLF criminal clique rocket attacks in Asmara, Abiy said that the Eritrean government was provoked and forced to cross Ethiopian borders and prevent further attacks and maintain its national security.

"In our March 26, 2021 discussions with President Isaias Afwerki during my visit to Asmara, the government of Eritrea has agreed to withdraw its forces out of the Ethiopian border and the Ethiopian National Defense Force will take over guarding the border areas effective immediately."

Eritrean Ministry of Information in its press release entitled :'Ethiopian Prime Minster winds visit to Asmara', stated that extensive consultations carried out between the two leaders focused on bilateral partnership and the joint strategic development programmes on the offing within the framework of broader regional prospects and perspectives.

The release further stated that the vicious military attacks unleashed in the past five months, and attendant disinformation campaigns were also assessed in depth.

The two sides agreed that important lessons have been gleaned from temporary hurdles precipitated by this reality that will further bolster the joint undertakings by the two sides in the period ahead, the release indicated.

The two countries also agreed to hold follow-up consultative meetings in Addis Ababa.

In a related development, Minister of Innovation and Technology Abraham Belay (PhD), who is part of the Ethiopian delegation to Asmara, told local media that the leaders have reached agreement to resume the people-to-people relations of the two countries border communities.

Cognizant of the importance of involving the border communities to lasting peace and economic progress, Prime Minister Abiy and President Isaias exchanged views to transform the people-to-people ties to solid economic partnership, including infrastructural connectivity.

Accordingly, Ethiopia and Eritrea have reached consensus to establish high-level groups that would facailitite their coopeartion in spheres of energy development, electricity interconnection as well as logicstic cordridor develeopment, the minister remarked.

The Ethiopian Herald 27 March 2021