The leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea cemented their recent peace agreement with the signing of another accord in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia said the document signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki was the "Jiddah Agreement", although its terms were not immediately clear.
Mr Abiy and Mr Isaias had earlier signed a "Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship" in the Eritrean capital Asmara on July 9, committing to "forge intimate political, economic, social, cultural and security cooperation" between the Horn of Africa neighbours after 20 years of enmity.
The ceremony in Jeddah was attended by Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
"The peace deal resulted in restoration of normal relations between the countries, on the basis of the close bonds of geography, history and culture between the two nations and their peoples," Saudi Arabia said in a statement.
"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia praised the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea for exercising leadership and courage to restore the brotherly relations between the two countries, thus forming the foundation for a new phase that will bring significant developments in the relations between the two nations in all fields," the statement added.
The Ethiopian and Eritrean leaders also were awarded the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, the kingdom's highest civilian honor.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a decades-long armed struggle but war broke out between the two countries in 1998 following a border dispute. More than 70,000 people were killed in two years of intense fighting before a ceasefire was reached.
The July peace agreement came just months after Mr Abiy took office in April and began instituting widespread reforms, including ending a longstanding state of emergency, freeing political prisoners and making peace overtures towards Eritrea. In June he announced that Ethiopia would accept a UN-approved ruling made after the two-year war and hand back disputed territory.
In a show of support for the reformist prime minister, the UAE pledged Dh11 billion for Ethiopia during a visit by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Both Mr Abiy and Mr Isaias have praised the role of the UAE and Saudi Arabia in the rapprochement between their nations.
The UAE hosted both leaders in July and awarded them the Order of Zayed, country's highest civilian honour. Sheikh Mohammed said at the time that the peace agreement would "ensure stability and security in the Horn of Africa and the region in general".
The new peace has led to the restoration of trade, communications and travel links, including the reopening of border crossings earlier this month. Landlocked Ethiopia will also have access to the Eritrean Red Sea ports of Massawa and Assab, providing an alternative to Doraleh in Djibouti.
_______________
Read more:
Former rivals hail UAE's role in bringing peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea
Eritrea and Ethiopia look forward to a brighter economic future
Providing a bridge between Ethiopia and Eritrea has been a significant achievement for the UAE
_______________
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
HOW TO WATCH
Facebook: TheNationalNews
Twitter: @thenationalnews
Instagram: @thenationalnews.com
TikTok: @thenationalnews
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
