Somali president meets Eritrean counterpart on trip to Asmara

Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo arrived in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, on Wednesday morning for a days’ visit.

The visiting president was accompanied by his Minister of Education and other senior officials. The delegation was welcomed by Eritrean president Isaias Afwerki at the Asmara International Airport.

“In their meeting at State House today, the two Presidents discussed status & progress of Eritrea-Somalia ties of cooperation and partnership as well as vital matters pertaining to Red Sea & Gulf of Aden,” Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Meskel said on Twitter.

The Somali president subsequently left Asmara for Mogadishu. The two Horn of Africa nations restored all brotherly and diplomatic ties last year in what was an offshoot of the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace deal of July 2018.

Farmaajo has been to Asmara a number of times since the restoration of ties. Aside the trip where ties were normalized, he also joined a tripartite summit which involved the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The trio met again in Ethiopia in continuing with the tripartite arrangement that was meant at greater regional and economic integration.

The meetings were at the heart of a move by Somalia’s parliament to impeach the president with the reason that he had entered into international agreements without legislative approval.

Somalia’s President Mohamed A. Mohamed arrived in Asmara for a working visit in early morning hours today. Pre. Mohamed, who was accompanied by the Minister of Education & other senior officials, was accorded warm welcome by Pre. Isaias on arrival at Asmara International Airport pic.twitter.com/zX8Vwulqh0

— Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) April 24, 2019