The spokesperson of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, gave the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing today (26 August 2021) to the media. In his presentation, the Ambassador focused on political diplomacy, Economic diplomacy, and citizen-centered diplomacy. Please find here a Summary of the Press Briefing.
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs had a meeting on Wednesday (August 25) with leaders of humanitarian agencies and stakeholders operating in Ethiopia.
- The Deputy Prime Minister gave a briefing on how the government of Ethiopia has been seriously taking humanitarian support to the Tigray region and facilitating all the necessary support to humanitarian actors despite the unwarranted invasions of the Amhara and Afar regions by the TPLF. He said,
- the TPLF has involved in mass killings and looting of government and private properties in the stated regions derailing all the government efforts to create peace through the unilateral humanitarian ceasefire.
- The destructive actions of the irresponsible TPLF have affected the normal lives of 3.5 million people in the Afar and Amhara regions, displacing about 500,000 people
- TPLF’s deliberate looting and shooting of farming animals in the two regions have left many farmers vulnerable and made them dependent on Government’s humanitarian handouts
- the international community should take the newly affected people in the two regions into consideration for humanitarian support
- the international community should officially condemn the unhelpful and destructive acts of the invading force.
- Participants in the meeting appreciated the briefing and further deliberated the importance of cooperation by various stakeholders in addressing the humanitarian needs of the affected people in Afar, Amhara and Tigray regions.
- The meeting was also attended by high level government officials from the Ministry of Peace to further addressed the concerns of humanitarian stakeholders.
State Minister H.E. Ambassador Redwan Hussein had a conversation with Ambassadors of the Upstream Riparian States of the Nile Basin in Ethiopia. On the occasion, the State Minister
- reiterated Ethiopia’s longstanding and unwavering commitment to having a fair and equitable utilization of the waters of the Nile River with close consultations with riparian countries.
- appreciated the riparian countries that have signed and ratified the Comprehensive Framework Agreement (CFA) and called on others to follow suit.
- recalled Tunisia’s proposal which was submitted to the Security Council in support of Egypt and that was rightly rejected by the Council.
- noted that Tunisia’s ongoing preparation to submit its inappropriate request again to the Security Council would put all riparian countries in a difficult position that necessitates cooperation to reverse it.
- Concluded that such an unhelpful move by an African state would only undermine the tripartite negotiation over the GERD and the upper riparian states should never accept it, the Ambassador concluded.
The ambassadors, on their part,
- said that cooperation is needed to jointly invest in cross-border resources and solve African problems through African initiatives.
The new Ambassador of New Zealand, Mr. Michael Upton, has submitted a copy of his letter of credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia. Upon receiving the ambassador’s credentials, Mr. Faisal Alie, Director General of the Protocol Affairs of the Ministry said the two countries should strive to further strengthen their close ties. He also briefed Ambassador Michael Upton on the current situation in Ethiopia.
II. #Citizencentered diplomacy
- The Ethiopian and Eritrean communities in Paris, France and Norway organized a rally in support of Ethiopian Defense Forces and condemned the actions of the TPLF, which is instigating mass killings of civilians, displacement of populations. They called on the international community to condemn the TPLF for rejecting the unilateral ceasefire of the Ethiopian Government and called on western countries to refrain from putting unnecessary pressures on Ethiopia.
- a total of 1041 people from Saudi Arabia and 41 from Puntland were repatriated.
- Preparation is underway to repatriate 1200 citizens from Yemen as of today
III. #EconomicDiplomacy
H.E. Ambassador Tizita Mulugeta met and discussed with Mr. Mayur Doshi, Managing Director of Paradise group. During the discussion, the two sides raised the different investment opportunities found in Ethiopia. Amb. Tizita mentioned the different investment potentials and incentives in Ethiopia and underscored the readiness of the Embassy to support and materialize their investment proposal. On the other hand, Mr. Mayur expressed his company’s long years of experience in the ceramic industry and its decision to invest in the ceramic sector in Ethiopia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia launched an online service for the diplomatic community and international organizations to quests for diplomatic privileges, immunity service, VIP saloon, and visa service. Addis Ababa-based embassies, international and regional organizations, and their employees will get quality and efficient services with the online service. State Minister, H.E. Ambassador Birtukan Ayano said the Ministry launched the online service continuing its endeavors to provide quality services to customers.
