Eritrea reopens embassy in Addis Ababa amid thaw

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Eritrea reopened its embassy in Ethiopia on Monday to show a rapid thaw between two countries that a week ago ended two decades of military stalemate over a border war witnessing tens of thousands died.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki reopened the embassy in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa in a brief ceremony. One week ago the leaders declared their "state of war" over, and Isaias spent the weekend in Ethiopia.

The rapprochement could help Ethiopia, a landlocked country of 100 million people with the largest economy in East Africa, by making access to Eritrea's ports possible. Better ties could help Eritrea overcome decades of relative isolation.

The leaders jointly raised the Eritrean flag inside a newly refurbished embassy as a military band played Eritrea's anthem. They then toured the building and looked at its furniture and two rusting cars that belonged to Eritrea's last ambassador.

A man wears a hat with the photos of the Eritrean President and the Ethiopian Prime Minister, as people celebrate the arrival of Eritrean President in Addis Ababa on July 14, 2018. /VCG Photo

Eritrea's information minister Yemane Meskel described the reopening of the embassy as "yet another milestone in the robust and special ties of peace and friendship both countries are cultivating with earnestness in these momentous times," in a tweet.

Isaias left Addis Ababa to return home soon after re-opening the embassy.

The Eritrean leader arrived in Addis Ababa for a three-day visit on Saturday and thousands lined the Ethiopian capital's main thoroughfare Bole Road, sporting T-shirts emblazoned with the pictures of both countries' leaders.

The visit comes just days after Abiy visited Eritrea and signed a pact with Isaias on resuming ties, a move that ended a nearly 20-year military standoff after a border war.

Eritrea formally seceded from Ethiopia in 1993 after a long battle for independence, but the two fought a border war in 1998 that claimed lives of at least 80,000.

The rapprochement was set in motion after Abiy in April became Ethiopia's prime minister. Abiy said he would accept and implement a boundary commission's ruling on the Eritrea border and implement sweeping political and economic reforms.

Source(s): Reuters