On 25 January 2018, Ambassador Teshome had an exchange of views with members of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly about the political situation in Ethiopia. The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly is a unique institution which focuses on topics of fundamental importance for the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) and EU countries, such as promoting democracy, good governance, developing trade and economic relations.
During the meeting, H.E. Ambassador Teshome Toga introduced recent developments in Ethiopia to Members of the European Parliament, including the release of 528 prisoners. While explaining the negotiation process that led to this historic decision, Ambassador Teshome emphasised that the absolute priority of the government is to fight poverty and inequality. Therefore, in addition to expanding the democratic space of the country, Ethiopia will strive to change the structure of its economy through industrialisation and focus on developing the immense potential of its youth.
Ambassador Teshome also underlined the important role played by the EU partnership with Ethiopia and appreciated the support of members of the Delegation. Members of the Parliament, for their part, lauded the recent initiatives taken by the government and asked questions about the next steps the country was planning to take. They encouraged Ethiopia to keep on deepening its democratic process.
Finally, Ambassador Teshome thanked the members for EP-Ethiopia Friendship Group who had made this intervention possible and took the opportunity to invite Members of the European Parliament to visit Ethiopia to better understand the situation in the country.
