Ethiopia rolls out red carpet for Eritrean top diplomat
News & Trends •
last week eritrean president isaias afwerki responded saying he would dispatch a delegation to gauge current developments directly and in depth as well as to chart out a plan for continuous future action1 ethiopia rolled out the red carpet for eritreas top diplomat on tuesday as the two nations took the next step in a historic initiative aimed at ending decades of conflict and hostility1 as eritreas top diplomat osman saleh and presidential adviser yemane gebreab landed at addis ababas airport abiy was there to greet them leading the pair along a red carpet past traditional dancers local celebrities and a brass band1 the welcome included ethiopian culture and sports personalities among them legendary long-distance runner haile gebrselassie1 the relationship between ethiopia and eritrea is about more than the border. when we make peace it will benefit all of east africa ethiopias foreign affairs spokesman meles alem said at the airport1 the meeting comes just three days after a blast at a rally attended by abiy a sign analysts say of the risks the 42-year-old prime minister has taken with a programme that embraces the biggest reforms at home and abroad in a generation1 earlier this month abiy said he would abide by a 2002 ruling issued by a united nations-backed commission and withdraw from contested territory including badme a town claimed by both sides1 the thaw between the foes who fought a bitter border war 20 years ago comes after an olive branch was dramatically offered by new ethiopian prime minister abiy ahmed1 he stopped short of calling it a peace delegation but an official visit alone marks a dramatic shift in relations long mired in suspicion and bloody hostility1 the last time ethiopian and eritrean troops fought head-on was just two years ago with each side claiming victory in response to what they said was the others aggression1 but just five years later a new border war erupted between the two countries killing around 80000 people before it ended in a stalemate in 20001 ethiopia ignored a subsequent ruling that it should withdraw from territory awarded to eritrea1 since then a tense standoff has persisted with both maintaining a war footing shots occasionally fired and with each side backing the others rebels1 the apparent detente in recent weeks has raised hopes of a normalisation of relations that might boost regional trade and ease tensions1 their long cold war has stymied economic development frozen political relations and helped justify domestic repression1