UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the lifting of sanctions on Eritrea will contribute to advancing peacebuilding efforts in the region, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
Guterres also believed the move would contribute to consolidating a conducive environment for greater economic integration and sustainable development, the spokesperson's note to the press said.
"The United Nations stands ready to support countries in the region in addressing the remaining peace and security challenges," the note said. "It also stands ready to support the ongoing dialogue between Djibouti and Eritrea and the regional efforts to settle the outstanding issues between the two countries."
Earlier Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to lift nearly decade-old arms embargoes and targeted sanctions on Eritrea after the country's recent rapprochement toward neighbors in the Horn of Africa.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved Resolution 2444 to lift arms embargoes, travel bans, asset freezes and targeted sanctions on Eritrea, which had been in place since 2009.
The removal of the sanctions was the culmination of regional political developments that unfolded since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki signed a peace agreement and announced normalization of ties in Asmara on July 9, ending a 20-year conflict.
The thaw also led to friendlier relations between Eritrea and other countries in the region, namely Djibouti and Somalia.
The British-drafted resolution urged Eritrea and Djibouti to work toward normalizing ties and settling their 2008 border dispute, and requested the UN secretary-general to report to the council on the issue by Feb. 15 2019 and then every six months.
The council imposed sanctions on Eritrea in 2009 for its alleged support of Al-Shabaab insurgents in Somalia, an accusation Asmara has long denied. The UN's most powerful body slapped more sanctions on the Horn of African country in three other resolutions from 2011 to 2013.
Wednesday's resolution recognized that UN monitors have "not found conclusive evidence that Eritrea supports Al-Shabaab."
