UN General Assembly
2001

establishing peace, security and stability lies with the peoples and leaders of these countries. It must also be emphasized that, while any regional assistance rendered is to be appreciated, it must be predicated upon the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the assisted countries. Such assistance should be based on lofty principles and aimed at serving the interests and well-being of the countries in question. The Horn of Africa has been a zone of conflict for the past four decades. Peace, security, stability and development are the collective responsibility of the States of the region. It behoves them to earnestly promote, protect and consolidate cooperative relations on the basis of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, renunciation of the threat or use of force, peaceful settlement of disputes, good-neighbourly relations and peaceful coexistence. Since its independence in 1993, the State of Eritrea has espoused national security and development 7 policies and programmes based on the premise that our security and development interests are closely linked to regional security and prosperity. To this end, it actively