Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali awarded Nobel Peace Prize

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his "efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation".

"The Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize to Abiy Ahmed Ali for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea," it said.

"The prize is also meant to recognise all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the east and northeast African regions," the Nobel Committee said in a statement, adding,"when Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in April 2018, he made it clear that he wished to resume peace talks with Eritrea." 

"In close cooperation with Isaias Afwerki, the President of Eritrea, Abiy Ahmed quickly worked out the principles of a peace agreement to end the long “no peace, no war” stalemate" between the two countries." 

"These principles are set out in the declarations that Prime Minister Abiy and President Afwerki signed in Asmara and Jeddah last July and September. An important premise for the breakthrough was Abiy Ahmed’s unconditional willingness to accept the arbitration ruling of an international boundary commission in 2002," the Nobel Committee said in a statement.