In an opinion piece published on 6 October on EUobserver, Felix Horne, Ethiopia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the European Union (EU) needed to adopt a new approach to Ethiopia, referring to the protests that have taken place in some parts of the country in recent months.
According to him, the EU has to use its role of main cooperation partner to “push Ethiopia” to accept an international investigation and take several measures, including respect of divergent views and bringing security forces to justice in case of illegitimate use of force. This would, according to Mr Horne, ultimately ensure the country remains a stable partner of the EU on the long term.
However, this suggestion is off-topic. It assumes EU-Ethiopia cooperation is a unilateral donor-recipient relationship whereas it is based on mutual interest and respect. Both parties know how to govern their relations. The EU is a very important partner of Ethiopia and a constructive dialogue mechanism has been established.
Moreover, any imposed international investigation would be unacceptable. As prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn recently said, Ethiopia is a sovereign and independent country and it has its internal institutional mechanism for investigation and accountability.
Bypassing the institutional mechanisms would undermine and discredit the constitutional obligations of the government. The Ethiopian government, by the pertinent constitutional institution, will carry out its own investigation and rectify any shortcomings.
Read the full article on the EU Observer:
https://euobserver.com/opinion/135422
