ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — With laughter and hugs, the leaders of longtime rivals Ethiopia and Eritrea have met for the first time in nearly two decades amid a dramatic diplomatic thaw.

Ethiopia's reformist new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has arrived in Eritrea's capital and a live broadcast by Eritrea's state television shows President Isaias Afwerki greeting him at the airport.

Crowds danced and sang for the leaders and Asmara's streets are hung with Ethiopian and Eritrean flags.

The visit comes a month after Abiy surprised people by fully accepting a peace deal that ended a two-year border war between the two countries. Ethiopia and Eritrea have not had diplomatic ties since the fighting began in 1998.

Abiy's chief of staff tweets that the visit aims to "further deepen efforts to bring about lasting peace."