The United Arab Emirates, Eritrea and Ethiopia called on Tuesday the international community to support the historic peace agreement signed between the two Horn of Africa neighbors and exert efforts to bolster peace, stability and development there.
President of Eritrea Isaias Afwerki and Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr. Abiy Ahmed hailed in this regard the role played by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, in sponsoring the peace deal.
Isaias and Abiy made their remarks during an official visit to the UAE.
A statement issued after their tripartite meeting in Abu Dhabi stressed that the peace deal will pave the way for positive ties between the two neighbors, bolster stability between them and the Horn of Africa as a whole.
The African officials expressed their gratitude to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for their efforts to end the dispute between their countries, saying that the Gulf states did not spare a single effort to follow up on their reconciliation.
For his part, Sheikh Mohammed praised the bold and historic step taken by the leaders to end their conflict, adding that this would result in cooperation and coordination between the neighbors and meet their citizens' aspirations for peace, development and prosperity, reported the UAE news agency WAM.
Their bold and historic move of normalizing Ethiopian-Eritrean relations carried a message of peace and tolerance to the wider world and displayed keen desire to help other countries achieve peace, development and stability, he added.
The joint statement highlighted the special and firm ties that bind the UAE with each of Eritrea and Ethiopia and the common interests that they share.
Later on Tuesday, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan conferred the Order of Zayed (First Class) to Isaias and Abiy in recognition of their peace efforts.
Sheikh Mohammed presented the Order, the UAE’s highest, which is bestowed on kings and heads of states, to the two African leaders.
An official reception was held for the state guests at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.
They were received at the palace by Sheikh Mohammed and greeted by sheikhs, dignitaries and senior officials of the UAE.
