PICS: Italy's PM visits Ethiopia and soon Eritrea to support peace

Italy's prime minister is visiting Ethiopia and is awaited in Eritrea after the neighbours and once-bitter rivals made surprising peace earlier this year.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says this is the first visit by a Western leader since the peace accord that ended years of deadly border tensions.

Conte is expected to discuss migration, a sensitive topic in Italy, as well as investment opportunities in Ethiopia, one of Africa's fastest-growing economies.

He was met at the airport by Ethiopia's reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and is expected to meet with members of the Italian community.

Eritrea's information minister says Conte on Friday will discuss bilateral cooperation and "international matters of mutual interest" with longtime President Isaias Afwerki during his visit.

Eritrea is a major source of migrants.

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