The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday welcomed the signing of the Lasting Peace Agreement between the Government of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) following the ceasefire agreed after two years of hostilities.
On behalf of the European Union and its member states, Borrell congratulated the peace agreement, reached through the Permanent Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA), as well as the work done by the African Union (AU) in mediating the negotiations, representing «an important step towards peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia».
«The implementation of the COHA requires strong leadership, as well as a robust and sustainable monitoring mechanism to ensure that both parties respect the cessation of hostilities,» the representative said.
In turn, the European Union has commended the progress already made since the ceasefire agreement signed in November and pledged to «support the implementation of the agreement» towards the path for the «reconstruction and reconciliation» of the country.
The communiqué also stressed the humanitarian emergency in northern Ethiopia and other parts of the country whose population needs the restoration of basic services following the consequences of the conflict.
«The sustained implementation of the agreement allows the European Union to resume its strategic engagement with Ethiopia, including through political dialogue,» Borrell pointed out, thus opening the way to the «gradual restoration» of development cooperation and economic support between the European Union and Ethiopia.
For its part, the African Union held today in Kenya the second meeting between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF to monitor the implementation of the agreement, an appointment that has concretized the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
The conflict broke out in early November 2020 when the TPLF attacked military bases in Mekele, capital of Tigray, after having previously defied the federal government by holding unauthorized regional elections. The conflict has lasted two years and has left thousands dead and millions displaced, according to the United Nations.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
