Ethiopia and South Sudan have signed agreements on security cooperation, roads and border control.
The signing of the agreements came here in Addis Ababa today following the bilateral talks held between Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan at the National Palace.
The two countries signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on security cooperation, border control and road infrastructure. They leaders agreed to stop hosting rebel groups in the two countries.
Moreover, they agreed to cooperate on health, media and information as well as on fuel delivery and building a road linking the two countries.
Ethiopia may build a road linking it with South Sudan’s largest oilfields and South Sudan will build a refinery in Upper Nile with the capacity to process as much as 100,000 barrels of oil per day.
The road will help deliver fuel produced at the planned new refinery to Ethiopia.
In a press conference he gave after the talks, the Premier said “in order to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries, we have agreed to hold discussion at a ministerial level twice a year.”
“We have also agreed to establish a committee which helps strengthen the people-to-people ties of the two nations,” the Premier added.
The memoranda of understanding signed today show that the relations between the two countries could grow more than this, said President Salva Kiir.
During his visit to South Sudan last October, Prime Minister Hailemariam and President Kiir signed a deal on bilateral trade, borders and military cooperation. (source: FBC)