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DPM and FM Demeke meets #Rwanda‘s Foreign Minister, Vincent Biruta

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen met with his Rwandan counterpart, Mr. Vincent Biruta, yesterday (October 12) at his office.

During their discussion, Mr. Demke reiterated the longstanding relations between the two countries. He noted the need to scale up ties between Ethiopia and Rwanda through various engagements.

The Deputy Prime Minister also briefed his Rwandan counterpart on current developments in Ethiopia.

The relationship between the two nations, according to the Rwandan foreign minister, is demonstrated through a solid partnership that goes beyond formal friendships.

He stated that Rwanda wants to see a united and strong Ethiopia and underlined the possibilities for closer cooperation between the two nations.

Concluding their discussion, the two sides agreed to hold a joint ministerial meeting soon.

The Government of Ethiopia is deeply concerned by the statements the European Union is issuing regarding the situation in Tigray. These statements not only failed to reflect the reality on the ground but also turned a blind eye to the efforts exerted by the Government to address the pressing humanitarian needs of the people in the region.

In what seems an unchanging tone since the Ethiopian Government has launched the law enforcement operation, the EU Commission’s statements have either ignored or failed the need to recognize from the start the overall objective of the operation and continued to project unbalanced and overrated view of the situation. Even if the law enforcement measure taken against those who defied the constitutional order and declared war on the Ethiopian National Defense Forces came to a successful completion, and massive efforts in collaboration with our partners have been launched to respond to the needs of the people in the region, the list of demands and conditions have made the task of soliciting the necessary amount of support to swiftly address the humanitarian activities difficult. If at all, constructive engagement from the start could have contributed to expediting the response and helped the Government and partners quickly delve into the colossal task of investing in the development projects to improve the livelihoods of the people in the region.

As has been stated time and again in many of the Government’s communications and briefings given to the international community, access to many of the humanitarian actors has been given to many of the places in Tigray under a government-led process. This is critical because it both helps to scale up the provision of humanitarian assistance in a coordinated manner, and enhance results in terms of reaching out to a large number of targeted groups and beneficiaries. These efforts were made apparent for all to see, including governments and UN officials who recently paid a visit to Ethiopia.

While the Government ensures all people in need of humanitarian assistance are properly provided with the necessary supplies, it has never failed in its responsibility to investigate the human rights violations committed during the law enforcement operation against the TPLF and bring those who were involved and perpetrators harboured these criminals to justice. Such investigations have also been carried out by an independent human rights commission in the country whose findings and that of the Government are now made publicly available.

As a country known for hosting close to a million refugees from different countries, Ethiopia’s hospitality and support to refugees from Eritrea is reassuring and questions raised in this regard are not and should be of no concern. Regarding the allegations about the Eritrean refugee camps in Shimelba and Hitsats, anyone who has been closely working with the refugees there knows that the Shimelba camp is located 20 KM away from Eritrea, and Hitsats in a very inhospitable area to any human beings. The Government of Ethiopia had tried to relocate the refugees in these camps to another area had it not been for the stubborn refusal of the TPLF that was administering the region before the beginning of the law enforcement operation. The Ethiopian Government does not think the High Representative of the EU was unaware of this fact. A number of refugees have been relocated to the remaining two camps that host Eritrean refugees while the others are disbursed in Addis Ababa, Tigray and Amhara regions. The High Representative’s allegation against Ethiopia in this regard does not take into account Ethiopia’s internationally acclaimed commitment to protecting and even expanding the rights of about one million refugees from 27 different countries.

It is the view of the Ethiopian Government that it is of no consequences to pronounce concerns that has been and in the process of being attained to in the Tigray region. It is only through constructive engagement that the aforesaid and other humanitarian and development challenges can effectively be addressed. As a strategic partner, the European Union should continue to stand by and support Ethiopia in its efforts to overcome its development bottlenecks and expedite its march towards achieving sustainable peace and development. Much has been achieved since the political and democratic dispensation have ushered in since the reform began, and the people and Government of Ethiopia stand strong in their resolve to build a democratic and prosperous country. Ethiopia is confident our development partners, including the European Union, join us in this journey and help us achieve to bring these grand objectives to fruition.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali has headed back home after taking part in the AU-EU Summit that was held from 17 and 18 of February 2022, in #Brussels, Belgium.

During his stay in Belgium, the Prime Minister held discussion with the European Union officials, H.E. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, H.E. Ursula von der Leyen, President of EU Commission, H.E. Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, and H.E. Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues.

Prime Minster Abiy also conferred with various African and European leaders on the side-line of the summit. He, among others, met and exchanged views on matters of common concern with H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of France and current presidency of the Council of the European Union and H.E. Janez Janša, Prime Minister of Slovenia and previous presidency of the Council of the European Union.

#Ethiopia‘s participation in the summit was significant in the time where the two continents are aiming to concretize their cooperation, among others, in fighting the COVID pandemic, exchanging strategic approaches on easing the financial constraints and economic downturn due to the pandemic and supporting the youth and women in job creation as well as environmental issues that include green transition.

It was also timely in expressing Ethiopia’s commitment for peace and development both within itself and the region during the various side-line meetings that took place in the summit.

Minister of Finance, H.E. Ahmed Shide, and State Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E Redwan Hussien met European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, Dr. Annette Weber on the sideline of the #AU–#EU Summit that was held in Brussels, Belgium from 17-18 of February 2022.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on the path that Ethiopia is heading- toward peace and reconciliation through dialogue. The discussion between the two sides included the steps taken for humanitarian delivery, including medical supplies to the northern part of Ethiopia.

They noted the important steps taken by the Ethiopian government to end the conflict and create peace in the country. They also underlined it was long overdue for partners to make the TPLF clique accountable for its misdeeds. The Minsters also explained at length Ethiopia’s focus to reengage partners, including the EU. The two sides also agreed to keep engaged in exchanging information about the latest developments.

H.E. Ambassador Feysel Aliyi, the Director General of Protocol Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has received today (February 02) at Bole International Airport, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of #Gabon, H.E. Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya who arrived in Addis Ababa to take part in the ministerial session of the African Union.