Patrick Simonnet is Head of Unit ‘East Africa, Horn of Africa’ at the European External Action Service (EEAS). We interviewed him to discuss the EU position regarding the current developments in Ethiopia. This article was originally published in the 10th issue (April 2018) of The Ethiopian Messenger, the quarterly magazine of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Brussels.

Embassy: Until recently, you were the EU Ambassador to Iraq, and you were Deputy Head of Unit, Fragility and Crisis Management. You have therefore a “fresh” view of EU-Ethiopia relations. What is your assessment of their relationship over recent years?

Patrick Simonnet: As your readers probably know, we have signed an EU-Ethiopia Strategic Engagement in June 2016, and for us, that was the demonstration of the importance of our relationship. We wished to establish a strong partnership among equals, notably in peace and security, climate change, sustainable development, governance, human rights and migration. We also have as part of this strategic engagement a political dialogue with ministerial meetings every year. The next one will be hopefully this year, with the HRVP visiting [Ethiopia]. In parallel to that, we have our article 8 political dialogue which includes all our EU Member States. Basically, this is a relationship which goes beyond the EU institutions. It is a partnership which engages all our EU Member States. My assessment of the relationship over recent years is very positive because we have this Strategic Engagement that we are busy implementing, and it is also crucial for us to keep it on track despite the current situation in Ethiopia, which is a difficult one. One element that is fundamental for us is the regional and continental role of Ethiopia in a wide range of issues (ranging from peace and security, economic and social development to green energy and climate change). We know that Ethiopia has a leading role in IGAD and we very much support IGAD, including financially, and we want to continue to support the active participation of IGAD in all the matters of the region. The HRVP met with the IGAD Foreign ministers last September, and we established a steering group to foster relationship at the regional level. So, the role of Ethiopia at the regional level is crucial for us. We definitely have a common objective: maintaining Ethiopia’s unity and stability and its leadership role in the continent. Now, it is true that the current situation in Ethiopia is not conducive to a proactive role of Ethiopia in the region, so we would very much like Ethiopia to address its internal challenges so that it can really come back strongly on the regional scene.

Besides PM Hailemariam’s resignation, the government has also released or pardoned thousands of prisoners since January. What is the EU position regarding the current developments in Ethiopia?

As I said, we find that the current situation, with the State of Emergency and the resignation, is concerning, even if we fully understand that the two things are not related. It’s all the more surprising that there was some good progress and we were happy to see the liberation of political activists, that was a strong message. So, for us this should be continued, the government would need to pursue the national dialogue with the opposition and civil society. It’s probably more important now than ever with the unrest happening in some regions. We would like those positive measures, like the liberation of political activists, to be continued and expanded. We would also expect transparency on the figures of casualties and transparency on the government response to the protest. We are obviously taking a close look at issues related to accountability, and we are mindful that the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has made some recommendations, we hope that those recommendations are being implemented. Again, on all these issues, we are a partner, so we want to assist Ethiopia in preparing the way forward for a peaceful and sustainable process. We understand this is a critical situation for Ethiopia and we want to stand by during this difficult situation.

The EU and Ethiopia enjoy a close relationship, which has been growing since 2016. What role is the EU going to play in this transition period?

I think our role is really to express our support to the Ethiopian population, at no time have we considered changing the EU assistance towards the EU population. As you know, we are also doing a lot to address the root causes of migration, and for that, we have an EU Trust Fund for Africa which comes on top of our strong bilateral cooperation with Ethiopia, and also regional programs. We have a strong relationship, and this needs to continue because it is in the interest of Ethiopians themselves. For us, as long as there is no radical development that would call some reaction from our side, we will continue cooperation, because we feel it is important, and we definitely want to continue our political discussion with Ethiopia, to see where we can help in this transition period. Again, this is a difficult time for Ethiopia, and we want to stand by as partners and friends, and if we can help, even on the political side, we will be happy to. I would also like to mention that the humanitarian situation, on top of everything, has deteriorated. There are 1.7 million internally displaced people in need for assistance in Ethiopia, and the government is fully aware of it. We are ready to continue supporting those most in need of humanitarian assistance, but it’s also something in this transition period that needs to be properly looked at.

Where are regarding the implementation of the agreements signed in 2016 by the EU and Ethiopia, such as the Strategic Agreement?

The Strategic Engagement establishes the different strands of our relationship; it’s a very diverse and comprehensive scope. It is based on dialogue; on a platform of discussions. We are a partner, so we want to assist Ethiopia in preparing the way forward for a peaceful and sustainable process. Some of this platform of discussions have already been put in place. Last year we had a discussion on human rights and democracy. We are planning to set this year platforms on peace and security and sustainable development and climate change, and we also stand ready to engage in a dialogue on migration. Now that we have agreed on procedures for returns together with the Ethiopian government, we might have a wider dialogue on migration, including legal migration. Everything is about dialogue and cooperation, and this obviously also creates opportunities for actions, for projects, but the dialogues are the best way to keep the political impetus into the strategic engagement. This is what we are planning for this year, but again, it is important that the political situation in Ethiopia gets normalised first so that we have the full attention of the Ethiopian authorities because we understand that they are really busy at the moment with other things.

Thank you!

Thank you very much, and again, Ethiopia is a very strong partner for us, and we love Ethiopia.

Ethiopian Airlines’ recent growth has been so fast that it revised the ambitious 15-year strategy set in 2010 and plans to buy more planes to step up its expansion.

Its plan had been to more than double its fleet to 120 and become Africa’s biggest airline by 2025, but it already has 100 planes flying to dozens of destinations from Asia to South America, including four U.S. cities.

The state-owned carrier has also outpaced regional competitors Kenya Airways and South African Airways to become Africa’s largest airline by revenue and profit, according to the International Air Transport Association.

“We have expanded more than we had planned,” said Chief Executive Tewolde Gebremariam.

In its 2016/17 financial year Ethiopian Airlines generated $2.7 billion in revenue, Tewolde said, up more than 11 percent from the previous year. Passenger numbers climbed by more than 18 percent to 9 million while net profit was $233 million, up from a little more than $220 million.

“We had to revise the objective to make it 150 airplanes or more by 2025.”

It now plans to place orders this year for 13 additional Boeing 787 jets and six more Airbus A350s, he told Reuters.

The airline has come a long way from when it was established in 1945 as a joint venture with now-defunct U.S. carrier Trans World Airlines (TWA).

In 2013 Ethiopian Airlines acquired a minority stake in Malawi Airlines to serve as a base for its southern Africa operations.

That kicked off a series of deals including January’s agreement with Zambia’s government to relaunch that country’s national carrier, shut down more than two decades ago.

The strategy is aimed at gaining a “competitive advantage” against rivals such as those in the Gulf, Tewolde said.

With Africa’s aviation industry still hampered by government protectionism and high taxes, Tewolde said that setting up or taking stakes in small carriers is a way around the restrictions.

Ethiopian Airlines aims to create a new airline in Mozambique that it will fully own, he said, adding that it is also in talks with Chad, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea to set up carriers through joint ventures.

“Going forward, it will be difficult for us to compete with only one hub in Addis Ababa.”

But it isn’t all clear skies for the fast-growing carrier.

“Running a business needs cash flow,” he said. “Here in Africa, we have a huge problem with this.”

The economic downturn in Africa caused by the collapse of oil prices in 2014 has indirectly hit the continent’s airlines, and Ethiopian is unable to repatriate more than $145 million in profits from Angola, Sudan and Zimbabwe because of foreign exchange shortages, Tewolde said.

Reuters 

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed concluded on Monday a two-day state visit to Kenya during which he held talks with his counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta at State House in Nairobi. At the heart of deliberations was bilateral and historical agreements between the two nations. Issues of prime importance included security, trade, tourism and economic cooperation.

Ethiopia and Kenya have emphasised the importance of the role they played in regional peace and security and agreed to intensify joint efforts to bring greater peace and security to the region, in particular in South Sudan and Somalia.

According to a joint communiqué issued after bilateral talks between Prime Minister Abiy and President Uhuru Kenyatta, the leaders have expressed their deep disappointment at the slow pace of progress in the ongoing efforts to restore peace in South Sudan.

The two leaders pledged their full commitment to the IGAD’s mediation efforts.

In this regard, they urged the leaders of South Sudan to place the interests of their people above their own to give peace a chance.

Noting that Al Shabaab continues to pose a significant threat to Somalia and the region, the statement stated that they expressed concern at the continued lukewarm international support for Somalia, in particular, the inadequate and unpredictable funding for AMISOM, which poses a threat to gains made thus far.

Ethiopia and Kenya are committed to continuing lobbying for adequate and sustainable support to AMISOM, including the provision of force multipliers for the mission in Somalia, as well as training for the Somalia security forces.

The leaders of two nations also identified cross-border security challenges exacerbated by vulnerable communities, as obstacles to sustainable peace.

Ethiopia and Kenya are major actors in the fight against terrorism. Both countries have troops in Somalia helping in the fight against Al Shabaab.

The Water Ministers of Ethiopian, Egypt and Sudan are conducting a joint meeting with the technical committee on the Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam. The two-day meeting off yesterday in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia’s Water and Irrigation Minister Sileshi Bekele, Sudan’s Minister of Water resources and Irrigation Muataz Musa; and Egyptian Water resources and Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel Ati have been attending the meeting.

 It was recalled that the water ministers of the three countries in Khartoum weeks back have agreed to implement the guideline given by the leaders’ of the countries.

 However, they did not reached on a consensus by the 1959 agreement that presented by Egypt regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

 It is recalled that Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Meles Alam had said earlier that Ethiopia won’t accept the 1959 agreement, which totally ignored it.

 The 1959 agreement signed between Sudan and Egypt, gives Cairo the lion’s share of the Nile water, which is 55.5 billion cubic meters annually, while Khartoum allowed to use 18.5 billion cubic meters. Though there is no information on the agendas of the meeting for media but it’s expected that there will be a wide range of discussion on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

The Ethiopian Premier arrived in Kenya yesterday for a two-day state visit aimed at enhancing the existing strong relations between the two countries.

On arrival at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, he was welcomed by Kenya’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade secretary, Monica Juma and other senior Kenyan government officials.

This morning, PM Dr Abiy Ahmed had a meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta on bilateral and regional issues in Nairobi.

Kenya and Ethiopia enjoy strong bilateral relations, deepened by the Special Status Agreement between the two countries.

 

Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to jointly develop and administer Port Sudan to facilitate Ethiopia’s access to the port.

Premier Abiy Ahmed, who is on an official working visit to Sudan, has discussed with the Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on a range of bilateral and regional issues.

Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyhu said that the two leaders have agreed on four major issues, which are taking into account the countries national interests and principles of shared benefits and added that “The two countries have agreed to develop and jointly manage Port Sudan together.”

Regarding the GERD, President Al-Bashir announced that his country will respect the agreements signed between Ethiopia and Egypt and will provide support for the National Technical Committee.

The two leaders have also agreed during their discussion to turn Assosa into a commercial centre in which Ethiopia and Sudan traders and business persons meet and converse on joint development issues.

Workneh also pointed out that the two leaders have reached a consensus to link Ethiopia and Sudan with a railway line.

In a related development, Prime Minister Abiy has urged President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to assist in the release of Ethiopians who are detained for various reasons in Sudan.

As per the request of the Premier, President Al-Bashir announced during the visit that the Ethiopian prisoners will be released.

Djibouti has already agreed on the sharing of a stake in the port of Djibouti with Ethiopia on Sunday.

Germany’s new foreign affairs chief, Heiko Maas, is in Ethiopia for the first leg of his two-nation African trip. It is his first African mission since taking office barely two months ago. He has held meetings with the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union on a number of mutual issues including financing the A.U.

After meeting with Ethiopian government officials for talks, he is expected to visit Tanzania on the final leg of his trip.

“I am looking forward to my first trip to Africa as German Foreign Minister. We have close and special relations with many African countries. These relations are important to us and we want to foster and expand them”, his office said in a statement on Tuesday, May 2.

During their meeting on May 3, Heiko Maas and Foreign Affairs State Minister HirutZemene discussed the status of the ongoing reform in Ethiopia. Briefing Maas, State Minister Hirut said the transition of power following the resignation of former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was transparent, democratic and smooth.

As a result, the country has now come back to normalcy and the dialogue between the ruling party and competing parties which started a year ago also manifests the desire to open up the political space, she noted. Recently, there were very serious deliberations and the government is pushing the reform process forward.

Germany’s Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas praised the willingness of the new Prime Minister for dialogue and expressed his best wishes for the success of the country.

The German government also recognizes the leading role of Ethiopia in terms of keeping peace and security in the region and in the continent, Maas stressed.

Ethiopia and Germany have strong cooperation in development, investment, and trade, Hirut said, further calling for Germany investors to invest in renewable energy development in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia and Germany have a longstanding diplomatic relations that goes back to 1905.