ESAT News (April 13, 2017)
In a statement issued on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) decision to deliminate the border between the two countries, the European Union says it is deeply concerned about the regional and international implications of the stalemate between the two countries.
“The EU remains deeply concerned that the present stalemate continues to put regional stability at risk, with potentially negative implications on international peace and security as well as international trade, and hampers regional cooperation and development,” said a statement issued by Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The two countries agreed on a binding decision by the Commission following a two year bloody war in which an estimated 100,000 people lost their lives on both sides.
Badime, the flash point of the war, was awarded to Eritrea but Ethiopia has yet to return that territory to Eritrea. The Ethiopian regime insists “normalizations” of relations between the two countries should come before any implementation of the decision by the Commission.
When the Commission handed down its decision in 2002, the then Ethiopian foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin, announced on live television that Badime was awarded to Ethiopia. It was later discovered that it was a lie.
“The EU is convinced that the parties have all to gain from a full implementation of the provisions of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s decision. In this regard, the EU encourages all concrete steps that could lead to finally demarcating the border in accordance with the EEBC decision and to move to a phase of building constructive and peaceful relations,” the statement by Mogherini further said.
The EEBC had been established as part of the Algiers peace agreement signed by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, and Ethiopian late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, in Algiers, Algeria on 12 December 2000. The EU signed as a witness alongside Algeria, the United States of America, the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity.