ADDIS ABABA, July 14, 2018 (MENA) - Eritrea's longtime president arrived in Ethiopia for his first visit in 22 years on Saturday amid a dramatic diplomatic thaw between the once-bitter rivals, ABC News reported. Thousands turned out in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, under tight security to welcome President Isaias Afwerki, whose three-day visit is the latest step in ending a long state of war. "Welcome home President Isaias!!" the Ethiopian prime minister's chief of staff said on Twitter. Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed made a similar visit to Eritrea's capital last weekend, welcomed by Isaias with hugs andlaughter. The 42-year-old Abiy broke the ice last month by fully embracing a peace deal that ended a 1998-2000 border war that killed tens of thousands and left families separated. A series of diplomatic breakthroughs quickly followed as one of Africa's longest-running conflicts neared an end.