ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia on Monday vowed to further deepen recent gains in the three Horn of Africa countries' diplomatic and socioeconomic relations.
This came as the Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo on Monday met in the Eritrean capital, Asmara on further strengthening diplomatic ties.
The three East African leaders also adopted a Joint Plan of Action for 2020 and beyond "focusing on two main and intertwined objectives of consolidating peace, stability and security as well as promoting economic and social development," the Eritrean Minister of Information, Yemane Gebremeskel, disclosed on Monday.
As part of the joint plan of action, the three countries' leaders also "agreed to bolster joint efforts for effective regional cooperation."
On the security front, they also formulated a comprehensive plan that envisaged combating and neutralizing "the common threats" that the three Horn of African countries face, including terrorism, arms and human trafficking as well as the smuggling of drugs.
They further "agreed to prioritize mobilization of their bountiful human and material resources, build, modernize and interface their infrastructure," as well as develop their productive and service sectors, according to the Eritrean information minister.
The three leaders also "expressed their appreciation and readiness to cooperate with friends and partners, on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit," as they emphasized to "closely consult with their brothers, heads of state, for the realization of effective Horn of Africa cooperation."
Last week, Eritrea's Afwerki and Somalia's Farmajo had hailed recent progress made across the Horn of Africa region amid reiterating joint resolve to further strengthen the normalization of ties among the Horn of Africa countries.
The two leaders, who held extensive talks in Asmara on Jan. 10 on the progress of bilateral ties and regional issues of vital interest to both countries, had expressed satisfaction at the progress made so far in the implementation of the Tripartite Agreement signed between Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
In late December, Ethiopia' Ahmed and Afwerki had vowed to cement recent gains in the rapprochement of bilateral ties as the two former arch-rivals seek to deepen socio-economic integration.
