You are cordially invited to attend a coffee ceremony at the Ethiopian stand of the 2018 Brussels Holiday Fair, which celebrates the wonders of Lalibela.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean Pierre Lacroix, on 30 January 2018 praised Ethiopia for its resolute commitment to ensuring global peace through its peacekeeping contribution.

Lacroix made the remarks during his meeting with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu on Tuesday in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia is one of the top troop-contributing countries to the UN with more than 8,300 peacekeepers on the ground, according to the UN.

According to Lacroix, one of the grounds in which Ethiopian peacekeepers registered success is the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), where Ethiopian peacekeepers have won the trust of both sides of the warring parties.

Lacroix, who praised Ethiopia’s contribution to global peace, also called on the Ethiopian government to augment its contribution to the Blue Helmet forces.

Briefing Lacroix on regional peace and security issues, Gebeyehu also underscored the urgent need to further reinforce the security structure in Somalia despite commendable progress witnessed in the country both in economic and political spheres over the years.

 

The peace process in South Sudan, brokered by the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) through Revitalization Process, was also another area of discussion among Gebeyehu and Lacroix.

According to Gebeyehu, the revitalization process is a relevant platform to ensure a meaningful peace in South Sudan.

Lacroix further assured UN’s continued support to the African Union (AU), the IGAD and other viable platforms in areas of peace and security as well as undertaking capacity building programs in security infrastructure and manpower towards stability in the Horn of Africa region.

Lacroix also urged the warring parties in South Sudan to seize rare opportunities to once and for all end the miseries of the South Sudanese people.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/30/c_136936889.htm

Leaders of Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia and Sudan have agreed to form a permanent committee to follow up on all issues of common concern particularly regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (L), Sudanese president Omer al-Bashir (C) and Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn shake hands during a meeting in Khartoum on 23 March 2015 on the planned Grand Renaissance dam 

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Monday met on the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

“The three leaders have underscored keenness to sustain good relations among the governments and peoples of the three countries and they agreed to coordinate and work together for the common interest of the peoples of their countries,” said Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour

Ghandour told reporters the tripartite meeting discussed relations among the three nations especially the issue of the GERD.

He said the three leaders agreed to discuss all mutual issues and to seek to achieve unity, pointing out that they agreed to establish a tripartite fund to support development projects and strengthen economic integration among the three countries.

Sudan’s top diplomat added the leaders also agreed to mandate the tripartite committee comprised of the irrigation ministers to serve as political committee and work to resolve all outstanding issues pertaining to the GERD and report to the leaders within one month.

He further said the meeting stressed the GERD is an Ethiopian dam that should benefit the three countries and that Sudan and Egypt water shares mustn’t be affected by its construction.

The leaders meeting comes amid heightened tensions in the region over border disputes, military alliances and the GERD.

In March 2015, the three leaders signed in Khartoum a framework cooperation deal on the GERD. They said the “declaration of principles” would pave the way for further diplomatic cooperation on the GERD which has stirred fears of a regional resource conflict.

However, since then the three countries failed to agree on the findings of the technical report related to the impact of the dam prepared by consultant companies, French firms BRL and Artelia.

The multi-billion dollar dam is being constructed on the Blue Nile, about 20 kilometres from the Sudanese border, and has a capacity of 74 billion cubic meters, and is expected to generate electrical power of up to 6,000 megawatts.

Egypt fears the dam will negatively affect its traditional share of water from the Nile, its only source of water which has been determined by a colonial-era water-sharing treaty.

But Ethiopia insists that this will not occur and asserts that the project is indispensable to its own national development and the economic welfare of its burgeoning population.

http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article64606

 

 

The latest issue of the Embassy’s Magazine, The Ethiopian Messenger, is available!

Content:

Democratisation in Ethiopia: A new chapter in the making

2018, a pivotal year for Ethiopia’s Energy Sector

The 5th AU-EU Summit: a (small) step forward

Ethiopia: the next hub for world apparel investment and sourcing

Lower Valley of the Omo: Ethiopia’s Southern Jewel

 

You can read all the articles in the magazine below.

 

Course records were smashed in both the men’s and women’s races.

Ethiopian runner Mosinet Geremew took home the US$200,000 prize at this weekend’s Dubai Marathon, in what has been described as one of the most thrilling finishes in marathon history. The 25-year-old – who entered the race just days before – set a new course record with his impressive time of 2 hours and 4 minutes. But he was forced to sprint across the finish line, with four more runners finishing within eight seconds of his time.

Ethiopians took the top 10 spots, with Leul Gebresilase taking second place just two seconds later. Last year’s winner, Tamirat Tola, took third, in 2 hours, 4 minutes and 6 seconds (he still managed to beat his previous course record of 2 hours, 4 minutes and 11 seconds).

The women’s race also produced record-breaking results, with Roza Dereje, also of Ethiopia, clocking a course record of 2 hours, 19 minutes and 17 seconds, also becoming the seventh-fastest woman in marathon history. Dereje also claimed a US$200,000 prize. She was followed by countrywomen Feyse Tadese (2 hours, 19 minutes and 30 seconds) and Yebrgual Melese (2 hours, 19 minutes and 36 seconds).

Such was the standard of the competition that defending champion Worknesh Degefa smashed her personal best by more than two minutes yet still missed out on a place on the podium.

More than 30,000 runners took part in this year’s marathon, 10km road race and 4km fun run, which has been dubbed the biggest mass participation sporting event in the Middle East. It’s also known as the “world’s richest race”, thanks to the US$200,000 prizes, with a US$250,000 bonus if a new world record is set.

http://whatson.ae/dubai/2018/01/ethiopians-dominate-dubai-marathon/

Ethiopia’s widening of the political space continues, as authorities in Oromiya province have pardoned more than 2,345 prisoners jailed for involvement in unrest that gripped the country in 2015-2016. The move is part of government’s efforts to calm unrest that has lingered since mass protests broke out in the region over accusations of land grabbing.

 

 

Ethiopia’s Ambassador Teshome Toga Chanaka spoke to EURACTIV’s Georgi Gotev in a video interview :

“We don’t believe in imposition of development policies because something that is imposed without your will won’t last long.  This is exactly what has happened in the past in Africa and Ethiopia would like to see that come to an end. Ownership means you take your destiny in your own hands, that you own the policies and the strategies that you think are good for Ethiopia and good for Africa. This, however, doesn’t mean that we shall not work with our partners. But partners should work in terms of our policies.”

 

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.