ADDIS ABABA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's new prime minister Abiy Ahmed on Monday stressed Ethiopia's commitment to reconcile with its neighbor Eritrea.
Ahmed, addressing the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives, extended an invitation to the Eritrean government towards dialogue and solving misunderstandings.
"We are fully committed to reconcile with our Eritrean brothers and sisters and extended an invitation to the Eritrean government to start dialogue and establish rapport," Ahmed said.
Eritrea, once part of the Ethiopian federation before its independence in 1993, has had tense relations with Ethiopia that had been exacerbated by border dispute, which resulted in a border war between 1998 and 2000 that killed an estimated 70,000 people from both sides.
The Ethiopian government often alleges Eritrea of funding outlawed rebel groups, while the Eritrean government accuses Ethiopia of supporting Eritrean rebels and running an international campaign to isolate the Red Sea nation.
Ahmed stressed that Ethiopia "must actively seek peace within our borders and outside."
