Italy has hailed a formal truce signed between Ethiopia's government and rebel forces from the northern Tigray region, which agrees to halt the deadly two-year civil war in the country.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the important agreement on the cessation of hostilities between the Government of Ethiopia and the TPLF," read a foreign ministry statement on Thursday.
Wednesday's deal between Ethiopia's government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front "is a commendable step from all the actors involved in the African Union led-talks," the statement went on.
"The implementation of this result is now crucial. Italy remains ready to help achieve a lasting peace in the country (Ethiopia)," the statement underlined.
The truce, which includes a disarmament plan and the restoration of crucial services, including aid supplies, was reached after a week of talks in South Africa.
The conflict has led to which led to thousands of deaths and warnings of a famine in Ethiopia. Around a third of children in Tigray are malnourished.
