"Eritrea and Ethiopia have signed a Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship today… Joint Declaration states, inter alia, i) State of war that existed between the two countries has come to an end. A new era of peace & friendship has been ushered; ii) Both countries will work to promote close cooperation in political, economic, social, cultural & security areas," Meskel said on Twitter.
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Ahmed arrived in Eritrea earlier on Monday for a meeting with Afewerki.
Ethiopia's ruling party — the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) — in June decided to accept and comply with Algiers Agreement, signed in 2000. The agreement stipulates that some contested territories, including the town of Badme, should belong to Eritrea.
Eritrea and Ethiopia became a federation in 1952. In 1962, Ethiopian troops forced the Eritrean parliament to dissolve, with Eritrea having been officially annexed.
Eritrea fought for years to gain independence and succeeded in 1991. In 1998-2000 the two neighboring states fought over the control of some territories. The two parties initially accepted Algiers agreement, but Ethiopia later expressed its dissatisfaction with the deal. Until now, Ethiopia has been controlling the land claimed by both countries.
