On July 9, 2018, Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to a Joint Declaration of Peace and Friendship, which marked a start to normalization of ties between the two states and an end to twenty years of conflict. The Declaration has five main provisions, which state that “war between Ethiopia and Eritrea has come to an end”; the governments will work “to forge intimate political, economic, social, cultural and security cooperation”;  “transport, trade and communications links between the two countries will resume”; “diplomatic ties and activities will restart”; “the decision on the boundary between the two countries will be implemented”; and the two states “will jointly endeavor to ensure regional peace, development and cooperation.” In a press statement, “members of the Security Council noted that this represents a historic and significant development with far-reaching positive consequences for the Horn of Africa and beyond,” and stated that they “stand ready to support Eritrea and Ethiopia in their implementation of the Joint Declaration.”