Turkey hails Ethiopia-Eritrea peace efforts

By Nilay Kar Onum

ISTANBUL (AA) - 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.

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.