Eritrea's president to visit Ethiopia to cement truce

Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian prime minister signed peace agreement in Asmara last week

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki embrace after signing a peace agreement on July 9, 2018. Ghideon Musa Aron Visafric via REUTERS 

Eritrea's president will make a historic visit to Ethiopia this weekend, cementing a stunning rapprochement with his country's giant neighbour after a generation of mutual hate and mistrust.

Isaias Afwerki will arrive in Ethiopia on Saturday, Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Friday, after the neighbours declared on Monday that their "state of war" was over.

The rapid changes come after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a peace initiative last month. He visited Eritrea's capital last weekend and signed a pact with Mr Isaias on resuming ties, a move that ended a near 20-year military standoff after a border war.

"President Isaias Afwerki will lead a delegation and pay an official visit to Ethiopia tomorrow, 14th July," Mr Yemane tweeted.

"The visit will cement further/add momentum to the joint march for peace and cooperation set in motion by both leaders."

The Horn of Africa neighbours have agreed to open embassies, develop ports and resume flights, in concrete signs of rapprochement after two decades of hostility since war erupted over their disputed border in 1998.

Mr Abiy's chief of staff tweeted that the visit will last three days.

The reconciliation could transform politics and security in the volatile Horn of Africa region, which hundreds of thousands of young people have fled in search of safety and opportunities in Europe.

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Under the new reformist prime minister, Ethiopia is opening up to the outside world after decades of security-obsessed relative isolation.

Since he took office in April, Mr Abiy has announced plans to partially open up the economy, including attracting foreign capital into the state-run telecoms company and national airline. The country, with a population of 100 million people, has seen rapid economic growth over the past decade.