Ethiopia Considers Leasing Eritrea Port

The Ethiopian government has been studying the possibility of leasing the Eritrean port of Assab for export and import, the local media reported Friday in Addis Ababa.

There have been efforts to normalize the relations between the two countries after the end of a two-year border conflict which claimed thousands of soldiers lives, the media said.

Washington, as part of its effort to bring the normalization of the relationship between Addis Ababa and Asmara, has planned to pay for 30-year lease period. The fund will be given to Ethiopia as a loan, according to the media.

However, there is so far no official confirmation.

Earlier, the Eritrean government stressed that the use of Assab port by Ethiopia is not a matter of choice but a must, adding that this is an economic issue, not a political one.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry declared that the question of normalization could not be raised as long as the present government in Eritrea remains in power.

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