EU Presidency declaration on the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea

The EU welcomes Eritrea's statement on progress on the demarcation of the boundary with Ethiopia contained in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' declaration issued on 12 December, indicating that the peace process has arrived at a propitious juncture. The EU agrees that the way forward lies in the full implementation of the 2000 Algiers agreement and the subsequent final and binding decision of the Boundary Commission.

In this regard, the EU considers the Eritrean statement, in conjunction with the declaration by Ethiopia of 25 November in which it pledges to pay its outstanding dues to the Boundary Commission and appoint field liaison officers, as an encouraging step which lays ground for further progress in the peaceful resolution of the border conflict between the two countries.

The EU expresses its hope that the Boundary Commission will now be in a position to commence, in close co-operation with the two countries, the demarcation process and thus lay a solid basis upon which a lasting peace can be secured.

The EU reiterates its firm commitment to assist Eritrea and Ethiopia in overcoming the current stalemate. The EU considers sustainable peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea as fundamental for further national development and for the enhancement of peace and security in the region as a whole.

The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

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