Eritrea opened its embassy in Ethiopia after 20 years of break-up

Eritrea reopened its embassy in Ethiopia on Monday after a 20-year closure of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.

16 July, 2018 17:51

NEWS DESK

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Monday reopened his country's embassy in Ethiopia which has been closed for 20 years after severing diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.

The reopening of the embassy in Addis Ababa ends a three-day official visit to Ethiopia by Ethiopia's president to consolidate the cessation of hostilities between the two countries.

The footages, broadcast by the Ethiopian television network ABC, shows President Isaias Afwerki raising the Eritrean flag and handing over from Abyei the keys to the embassy in the center of the Ethiopian capital, full of dusty old buildings that have not been touched for years.

Ethiopia and Eritrea exchanged their diplomats distancing at the start of the 1998-2000 war, especially over a dispute over their common border. That war killed some 80,000 people.

The state of war officially ended between Ethiopia and Eritrea, according to a joint statement signed after a historic meeting between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in Asmara ended 20 years of hostility.

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