New Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed (left) is meeting veteran Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki pic: REUTERS[/caption]
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has begun a visit to Eritrea, days after the two countries agreed to end a two decade-old border dispute.
He was welcomed in the Eritrean capital Asmara by President Isaias Afewerki. The trip follows a visit to Addis Ababa by an Eritrean delegation. Mr Abiy, who took office in April, has accepted a ruling awarding disputed territory to Eritrea. Eritrea won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a lengthy conflict. But within five years the neighbours were fighting over remote border areas, including the town of Badme.![Ethiopian soldiers on a hilltop outpost overlooking the town of Badme in 2005](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/E825/production/_101892495_gettyimages-56247047.jpg)
![A map showing Ethiopia and Eritrea](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/F538/production/_101167726_ethiopiaeritreabadme9760518.png)
Timeline
- 24 May 1993: Eritrean independence from Ethiopia officially declared
- 6 May 1998: Border war begins
- 18 June 2000: Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities signed
- 12 December 2000: Algiers Peace Agreement signed
- 13 April 2002: The Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission delivered its “binding” ruling