Somalia: Farmajo to pay 2nd state visit to Eritrea in three months

ASMARA, Eritrea - Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo is scheduled to pay an official visit the long-time besieged east African nation, Eritrea on Wednesday, becoming his second trip since last July, Garowe Online reports.

In a Twitter post, Eritrea's Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel said President Farmajo will arrive in Asmara later today for a tripartite Summit with President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Somali President is returning from China where he attended the 7th summit of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held in Beijing on 3rd and 4th September 2018.

Last July, Farmajo visited Asmara after receiving an invitation from his Eritrean counterpart, Isaias Afwerki, a rare trip that a new chapter for the countries after years of sour relations.

The two countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors, a move that coincides with the historic reform in Ethiopia since Abiy assumed office last April.

UN security council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 for supplying weapons to Islamist insurgents fighting the fragile government in Mogadishu. Asmara has said the accusations were concocted by Ethiopia.

Asmara walked out of the Eight-country East African trade bloc [IGAD] in 2007 in protest as Ethiopian forces entered Somalia to fight the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants.

GAROWE ONLINE