H.E. Ambassador Teshome Toga is on a working visit to Riga, Latvia to strengthen the bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Latvia.

On 16 November, Ambassador Teshome Toga met with Mr Ojārs Ēriks Kalninš, Head of Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia. Sharing his experience as a speaker in the Ethiopian Parliament, Ambassador Teshome mentioned the irreplaceable role of parliaments in playing an active role in foreign policy of a country by way of parliamentary diplomacy. The Ambassador briefed the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee about the excellent diplomatic relationships between the two countries both bilaterally and at the EU level.

The Ambassador also recalled the MOU signed last year to further deepen the friendly relationship between the two countries via political consultation. Meanwhile, the Ambassador further explained Ethiopia’s economic development and the recent unrest causing loss of life and how the government is striving to address the grievances of the people through massive consultations and engagement. He mentioned the tireless effort of Ethiopia in maintaining the regional peace and security by sending peacekeepers and by hosting over 800,000 refugees. Mr Ojārs Ēriks Kalninš on his turn explained that his country is working towards strengthening its relationships with countries in east Asia, Middle East and Africa. Mr Kalninš mentioned that Ethiopia is a country having a long civilizations and his country has already established parliamentary friendship group to maintain close relationships with the Ethiopian parliament. He has also indicated that the friendship group has already decided to meet with its counterparts in Addis Ababa in 2017.

The two sides have expressed the will to enhance a direct trade relations based on Ethiopia’s comparative advantage of exporting quality coffee and cut flowers and for Ethiopia to benefit from the well established IT sector of Latvia. Both sides have also discussed and agreed to deepen investment and promote people to people relations via tourism. Both sides underlined the need to organize African-Latvian Investment forum with the view of informing the Latvian private sector about Africa’s investment potential.

Meanwhile, both sides have exchanged views related to the EU and other regional and global current phenomenon and agreed to cooperate on the international stage based on mutual interest.

An Ethio-german business roundtable was held on Monday 14 November 2016 at Hilton Addis, during which a delegation from the Bavarian state of the Federal Republic of Germany has been briefed on investment and business opportunities in Ethiopia.

State Minister for Business and Diaspora Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Mr Regasa Kefale, addressing the delegation on the longstanding relations of the two countries stated, “Ethiopia and Germany enjoy excellent diplomatic relations that spans more than a century”.  He expressed Ethiopia’s appreciation for the meaningful support extended by the German Government in the past half a century to the tune of one billion Euros under technical and financial cooperation, among others, on education, food security and agriculture. Mr Regasa pointed out that, the Ethio-German two way trade exchanges has witnessed a continuous growth in volume, which achieved last year half a billion US dollars. He emphasized on the “need to further increase and diversify trade opportunities” between businesses and governments of the two countries.

From German side, the head of the delegation, Mr. Ulrich Konstantin Rieger, Deputy Head of the Department for Internalization in the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology, stated that the longstanding historical relation between the two countries should be further strengthened on the field of business and trade ties. The delegation composed of Bavarian state officials, business company heads from energy, construction and manufacturing sectors as well as university professors will enhance the already existing strong economic relations of the two countries, he added.

Mr. Fitsum Arega, the Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission has also briefed the participants on investment opportunities in Ethiopia, namely in the manufacturing, agroprocessing, energy and pharmaceutical sectors. In his briefing, Mr. Fitsum underlined the favorable investment conditions ranging from Ethiopia’s fast growing economy which he said was attracting massive FDI up to the well-oriented investment policy of the government. Bavarian state business companies which are engaged on manufacturing, energy and construction sectors will be successful in Ethiopia’s conducive investment environment, he added.

The Bavarian state delegation is expected to meet government officials of the Ministry of Education, Health, Science and Technology, among others.

Source: MFA Ethiopia

Through a new recommendation issued on its website, the German Foreign Ministry lifted its warning for German tourists planning to visit the main touristic areas of Ethiopia. According to the Ministry, cities such as Bahir Dar, Gondar, Lalibela, Dire Dawa, Arba Minch can be visited safely. Travelling there “is currently possible without any problem”, the website further states.

This warning was lifted after the peace and stability was restored in the country, said Getnet Yigzaw, public relations head of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO).

As a result of the unrest that occurred recently in some parts of the country, countries, including Germany, had issued travel warnings for visitors.

These countries are cancelling the warnings since the Ethiopian government has managed to restore peace and bring back business as usual, Getnet said. According to him, Britain and the US are also expected to lift the travel warning to Ethiopia.

Last week, Ethiopia lifted the directive which restricted diplomats from travelling beyond a 40-kilometer radius out of Addis Ababa without the permission of the command post.

Ethiopia declared a six-month nationwide state of emergency early October following unrests that occurred in some areas of the country.

Sources: German MFA, FBC

Germany’s Development Minister Gerd Mueller said on Friday (November 11) that Germany would in the coming weeks release details of what he called a new “Marshall Plan with Africa”.

He was referring to the huge U.S. investment program in Germany and Europe after World War Two. He urged other developed countries to support a plan Germany is finalizing to bolster the economies of Africa, create jobs and slow the flow of migrants from the continent to Europe.

The International Organization for Migration last week said nearly 160,000 people had crossed the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy this year, while 4,220 had died trying. Mr. Mueller told a news conference: “We have to invest in these countries in Africa and give people perspectives for the future”, adding  “if the youth of Africa can’t find work or a future in their own countries, it won’t be hundreds of thousands, but millions that make their way to Europe.”

Mr. Mueller also noted that in addition to the migrants already looking to come to Europe, there were about 20 million displaced people in Africa. Mueller said his plan was aimed at developing joint solutions with African countries, with a big focus on program for youth, education and training and on strengthening economies and the rule of law.

He also said these issues needed to be recognized by the international community, and Africa should have representation on the U.N. Security Council.

Mr. Mueller said a significant share of his ministry’s proposed budget increase of over 1 billion euros for 2017 would be earmarked for projects in Africa.

Earlier in the week, Germany also pledged a 61-million-euro ($67 million) rise in funding for U.N. relief operations in Africa.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie received a copy of credentials of the newly appointed Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Urban Andersson today (November 11). Discussions focused on the promotion of peace and security in the Horn of Africa. The Special envoy commended Ethiopia’s continued engagement in the maintenance of regional peace and security. On the occasion, Ambassador Taye noted the long-standing and excellent relations between Ethiopia and Sweden and stressed that Ethiopia would continue to work to bring the two countries relations to the highest level possible in areas of mutual concern and cooperation

At the major horticulture fairs in the Netherlands IFTF and Royal Flora Holland, investors in the floriculture sector reiterate their determination to expand their business in Ethiopia.

The Finnish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Ambassador Helena Airaksinen said yesterday (November 8) that her country would continue providing professional and financial assistance to Ethiopia.

She said the assistance would focus on rural water supply and sanitation as well as the expansion of primary school education. The Ambassador added that Finland had the desire to carry out concrete works in these selected sectors during the second Growth and Transformation Plan.

Ambassador Airaksinen said 15 million Euros would be allotted annually to realize the development programs during the Growth and Transformation Plan. She also disclosed that more than 1.8 million people and 140,000 institutions would benefit from the supply of potable water.

Ethiopian coffee received the “2016 World’s Best Coffee Award” at the first-ever Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards Ceremony held in New York on 1st November 2016.

The Ernesto Illy International Coffee Awards recognizes top quality coffee growers who produce the best beans in the coffee paradises across the world.

The event which was organized with the major aim of recognizing coffee grower’s commitment to quality and sustainability along with emphasizing the importance of working hand-in-hand with the coffee growers was attended by a number of ambassadors and United Nations delegates from around the globe.

The judges, who tasted 27 cups of coffee from Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India and Nicaragua, awarded Ahmed Legesse from Ethiopia with the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award.

In the event, the jury’s spokesperson described Ethiopian coffee: “A special coffee with a mild, delicate aroma and a unique perfume with distinctive floral notes of jasmine and a hint of citrus fruit.”

The Government of Ethiopia has announced today (November 08, 2016) that it has lifted the state of emergency directive which restricted diplomats to travel beyond 40 KM radius outside of Addis Ababa without notifying and getting the permission of the Command Post.

According to Siraj Fegessa, Secretariat of the Command Post and Minister of Defense, the decision to lift the travel ban was ascribed to the relative peace and security currently evident in the country.

The newly issued directives for the implementation of the state of emergency also lifted the directive which prohibits carrying and possessing at home uniforms of law enforcement bodies.

The new directives also include amendments on self-defense measures that law enforcement officers and others on guarding duty would take while implementing the state of emergency proclamation and prohibitions as well as amendments to the state of conducting searches.

Apart from taking self-defense measures to avert attacks by means of weapons or blade directed against their life and property as stated in the first and previously issued directive, law enforcement officers and those on guarding duty as per the newly issued directives for the implementation of the state of emergency are now also entitled to avert attacks targeted against the lives of others and property.