Yemeni-Eritrean relations

In the late 1960s and most of the 1970s, the government of South Yemen supported the Eritrean rebels in their struggle for independence from Ethiopia . In 1977, the government of South Yemen broke off relations with Eritrean rebels under pressure from the Soviet Union . In the late 1980s, the USSR turned down the assistance to Ethiopia and South Yemen also ceased supporting this country. In 1991, Yemen established diplomatic relations with Eritrea, and in 1993 recognized its independence from Ethiopia. Despite the development of trade contacts, relations between the two countries remained tense due to disputes over the maritime border in the Red Sea ^[1] .

In November 1994, there was a conflict between countries caused by the fact that Yemeni fishermen were fishing in the territorial waters of Eritrea. The conflict was resolved through diplomacy. In December 1995, a brief armed clash took place between Yemen and Eritrea, caused by an attempt to seize the last Khanish archipelago located in the southern part of the Red Sea. Ended with the restoration of Yemeni control over the islands ^[1] . After a lengthy trial by an international court in The Hague under the leadership of Abdul-Karim Aleriani (Dr. Abdul-Karim Aleryani) (decision of 9 October 1998), Yemen was given full ownership of the larger islands, and Eritrea - peripheral islands south-west of the larger islands ^[2] .

After the settlement of the territorial dispute, relations between the countries improved significantly. In 2004, the President of Eritrea Isaias Afeverki visited Yemen for the first time in history with an official visit, a number of intergovernmental agreements were signed in order to stimulate the growth of trade turnover ^[1] . In 2015, Eritrea joined the Arab coalition during their invasion of Yemen ^{[3] [4] [5]} .