Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has said Eritrea lost much of its industry and urban life after breaking away from Ethiopia, and urged the two neighbours to cooperate, AllAfrica reports.
In an interview with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, Abiy said Eritrea once had more than 300 industries, that its capital, Asmara, was now smaller than several growing Ethiopian cities such as Arba Minch and Jigjiga, and that the Red Sea ports of Massawa and Assab had declined sharply. He described Assab as a ghost town.
He blamed the Eritrean government for neglecting development and siding with forces hostile to Ethiopia. Abiy said good neighbourliness and development cooperation were the only workable way forward, and warned that ignoring calls for partnership, and letting the region become an arena for outside rivalries, could have serious consequences.
Source: AllAfrica
