Ethiopia reopens embassy in Eritrea

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Ethiopia on Thursday reopened its embassy in the Eritrean capital Asmara after a 20-year hiatus.

The reopening ceremony was attended by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Eritrean President Isaias Afeworki and senior officials of both countries.

“The embassy has the best location and the Eritrean government renovated it demonstrating the extent to which it cherishes cooperation with Ethiopia,” Ahmed said.

Ethiopia in July named Redwan Hussein as its ambassador in Eritrea.

Eritrea opened its embassy in Addis Ababa in mid-July.

The two countries have broken out of a two-decade tension in a dramatic turn of events after Ahmed extended an olive branch to the Eritrean president in his inaugural speech in April.

The two leaders met in July vowing to revamp relations.

Eritrea seceded from Ethiopia in 1993.

From 1998 to 2000 the two countries fought a bloody war in which an estimated 70,000 people perished on both sides.