Eritrea, Ethiopia sign accord

UAE WELCOMES SAUDI KING’S EFFORTS TO ENSURE SECURITY AND STABILITY IN THE REGION

UAE welcomes Saudi King’s efforts to ensure security, prosperity and stability in the region |

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Leaders from Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace agreement yesterday during a summit in Saudi Arabia, yet another sign of warming ties between two nations that have face decades of war and unease.

Terms of the agreement signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki weren’t immediately clear. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry described it as a “seven-point agreement”.

Saudi authorities described it as being a further endorsement of a historic deal reached between the two nations in July.

“The peace deal resulted in restoration of normal relations between the countries, on the basis of the close bonds of geography, history and culture between the two nations and their peoples,” Saudi Arabia said in a statement yesterday, calling the accord the “Jeddah Agreement.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia praised the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea for exercising leadership and courage to restore the brotherly relations between the two countries, thus forming the foundation for a new phase that will bring significant developments in the relations between the two nations in all fields,” the statement added.

Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman were on hand for the summit in Jeddah. Also attending was UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres.

Relations normalising

“There is a wind of hope blowing in the Horn of Africa,” Guterres said after the signing. “It is not only the peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea — it is the fact that tomorrow and the day after tomorrow we will have, here in Saudi Arabia, the president of Djibouti and the president of Eritrea — two countries that have also been at odds with each other.”

In September, an Ethiopianmediated effort saw relations normalise between Eritrea and Djibouti after a long border dispute. The UAE welcomed the agreement and valued efforts made by King Salman in establishing pillars of security, stability and prosperity in the region.

The UAE said the agreement comes within the context of King Salman’s policy to strengthen stability in the region through a well-thought out vision that recognises the vital, dynamic connection between the security of the Horn of Africa and that of the Arab World.

Commenting on the landmark agreement, Shaikh Abdullah said he was proud to attend the signing of this good, historic agreement, which will build bridges between brothers and bring peoples even closer. “It gives optimism to generations,’’ he said.