Somalia president arrives back in Mogadishu after historic visit to Eritrea

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has on Monday arrived back in the capital, Mogadishu after concluding a historic three-day visit to Eritrea, Garowe Online reports.

The plane carrying the President and his entourage touched down at Aden Int’l Airport early in the morning in the seaside city and was received by cabinet ministers, MPs and other officials upon arrival.

During his stay, Farmajo he held lengthy talks with his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki in Asmara and paid a tour on Sunday to various developmental sites in the tiny beleaguered East African country.

A large delegation, including Chief of Staff at Villa Somalia, Fahad Yasin accompanied the President during his rare visit that opened a new chapter for relations between the two nations under the UN arms embargo.

“President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed departed to Mogadishu at 11:00 a.m. local time today after a three-day successful official visit to Eritrea,” said Yemane G. Meskel, Eritrea’s Information Minister.

On Monday, July 30, Farmajo and Afwerki have reached an agreement to re-establish the diplomatic ties between Somalia and Eritrea and open embassies in their capitals, promote bilateral trade and investment.

The two countries have not had any diplomatic ties for nearly 15 years.

In 2007, Eritrea had been blamed for giving military support to the Islamic Courts Union which ruled large ground in southern Somalia as a proxy war with Ethiopia. Asmara has denied that accusation as “baseless.”

In 2009, the United Nations Security Council slapped sanctions on Eritrea for its role in the Somalia conflict and baking extremist groups, including Al-Shabaab.

GAROWE ONLINE