Ambassador of France to Ethiopia, Ambassador Frédéric Bontems who met with Foreign Minister Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu today (January 3, 2017) underlined that Ethiopia’s role in promoting regional peace and stability is irreplaceable, adding that it’s important to have Ethiopia on board on various international issues.

The two sides discussed at length on bilateral and regional as well as international issues of mutual interest.

Ambassador Frédéric Bontems congratulated Foreign Minister Dr. Workneh for his post as the Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

The Ambassador also congratulated Ethiopia since it has officially begun its two year term as non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council as of January 1st, 2017.

France, the Ambassador said would further work in concert with Ethiopia on areas of development and climate change, while also noting that the two countries will continue to work closely and enhance wider partnership through the annual bilateral consultation.

Describing France as a dependable friend of Ethiopia, Foreign Minister Dr. Workneh emphasized that Ethiopia and France will further enhance the already excellent cooperation, adding that Ethiopia is keen to work with France at the UNSC.

The Foreign Minister assured the French Ambassador that Ethiopia will further strengthen its ties with France in a range of sectors, including energy, aviation, UNSC platforms and other international forums in the years ahead.

The two sides further discussed on ways of exploring areas of cooperation in light of the ‘France-Africa Forum’ due to be held in Bamako, Mali, in May 2017.

Source: MFA Ethiopia

Ethiopia has officially begun its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on January 02, 2017.

The new UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres also began his duties as the 9th Secretary-General of the United Nations on the same day and he did so with a strong appeal for peace in 2017.

Ethiopia together with other members of the Council will do everything it can to respond to Mr. Guterres’ appeal for peace and meaningfully contribute to the resolution of these conflict and crisis situations.

It is to be recalled that the United Nations General Assembly elected five non-permanent members to the Security Council on June 28, 2016, at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Ethiopia was elected with 185 votes out of 190 members of the General Assembly. The election provided the successful candidates, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Sweden and Kazakhstan with Italy and the Netherlands splitting the fifth seat, with a two-year mandate for membership of the Security Council.

The election showcased a clear indication of recognition of Ethiopia’s increasing reputation for helping to maintain international peace and security. Ethiopia’s participation and experience in peacekeeping in Africa also played a significant element in its successful bid.

Ethiopia provides a contingent of 8,321 personnel, both men and women, involved in UN peacekeeping duties, one of the largest in the world. In addition, Ethiopia is a founding member and host country for the African Union.

In fact Ethiopia is a major pillar in the continent’s peace and security architecture. In the same way, Ethiopia has also played a significant contribution towards mediating conflict in the Horn of Africa including in South Sudan and in providing peacekeepers for AU missions.

Ethiopia will exert every possible effort to make meaningful and constructive contribution to the work of the Council, in close cooperation and collaboration with other members. The United Nations cannot handle today’s peace and security challenges alone and in the spirit of chapter III of the UN Charter, Ethiopia will continue to advocate for greater strategic coherence between regional mechanisms, the African Union and the United Nations in addressing the peace and security challenges on the continent.

Source: MFA Ethiopia

The House of People’s Representatives (HPR) on Tuesday (December 27) approved the second national human rights action plan. Tabled to the House by the Legal, Justice and Administrative Affairs Standing Committee, the amendment made its focus on civil, political, socio-economic, cultural, environmental and developmental rights. According to the Chairman of the Committee, Petros Woldesillasie, the newly included and amended human rights laws are believed to ensure the human and democratic rights of the people.

Source: MFA Ethiopia

On 17 December 2016, the 11th Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Day was colorfully celebrated in Brussels. Members from the Ethiopian diaspora living in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg came to our Embassy to jointly observe this special day. After a brief presentation on the Ethiopian Federal structure, the involvement and coexistence of multiple Nations, Nationalities and People’s of Ethiopia and on the current situation and development of the country, the participants interactively discussed these issues, and concluded the celebration by enjoying together traditional food, drinks and music.

After a decade of rapid growth, Ethiopia’s bubble is not bursting.

Dubbed the ‘African Lion’ by economists, Ethiopia is the home of booming industry, new infrastructure, and showpiece summits. It has become a powerful force in the region and beyond.

To maintain this golden age, the East African state is pressing ahead with ambitious development plans, and renewable energy is core to the mission.

Ethiopia was among the most daring signatories to the Paris Agreement on climate change, committing to cut carbon emissions by 64% by 2030. The government has ploughed billions of dollars into hydropower megaprojects such as the Grand Renaissance Dam — which will be the largest dam in Africa — and the freshly-inaugurated Gibe III Dam.

The next target is to become the wind power capital of Africa.

Read the full article on CNN

As Africa’s the second largest flower exporter, Ethiopia exported roses worth € 333 million in 2015 against € 133 million in 2010. 91% of the flowers are exported to the Netherlands and then re-distributed to France, Germany and the UK. About 50 production sites in Ethiopia take advantage of the favorable conditions in terms of climate, good infrastructure and accessible airports, availability of energy, telecommunications and water. A lot of new investments are currently made around Bahir Dar in this sector, among others to build cooling facilities.

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FloraHolland: Exportwaarde rozenteelt Ethiopië in 2015 333 miljoen euro

De exportwaarde van de rozenteelt in Ethiopië is enorm gegroeid. Van 133 miljoen euro in 2010 naar 333 miljoen euro in 2015. Ethiopië is na Kenia, het belangrijkste exportland in Afrika voor bloemen. Zeker 91% wordt naar Nederland geëxporteerd en een groot deel wordt via Royal FloraHolland verhandeld. Vele rozen vinden via de bloemenveiling hun weg naar Duitsland, Frankrijk en het Verenigd Koninkrijk.

Er zijn in Ethiopië ongeveer 50 kwekerijen, waarvan de meerderheid rozen telen. Er zijn 7 regio’s waar de kwekerijen zijn gevestigd. De meeste kwekerijen zijn gelegen in de omgeving van Addis Abeba. Belangrijke redenen hiervoor zijn: het goede klimaat, vanwege de hoogte, toegang tot de luchthaven, betere infrastructuur, beschikbaarheid van energie, telecommunicatie en water. De laatste jaren vindt er een uitbreiding van de teelt plaats naar Bahir dar. Dit gebied is zich aan het ontwikkelen. Enkele jaren geleden is geïnvesteerd in de plaatselijke luchthaven met koelfaciliteiten.

De productie per rozenkweker in Ethiopië verschilt enorm. Van 70 stelen per m2 in hoog gebied, tot 250 stelen per m2 in laag gebied zoals Ziway. Er wordt een palet aan rozenkleuren geteeld. De meest voorkomende kleuren zijn: roze, wit, geel en rood.

bron: FloraHolland, 14/12/16

Some medias and eminent personalities have recently expressed their concerns regarding the detention of Dr Merera Gudina in Ethiopia. We felt it is important to explain the reasons of this arrest and give more clarity about the current situation in Ethiopia.

Dr Merera Gudina was arrested on 1st of December in Addis Ababa for violating directives of the state of emergency. The state of emergency was declared in October to restore peace and order and put an end to the unrests that unfolded in different parts of the country.

This state of emergency was declared for a period of six months according to the constitutional provisions of the country. Since then, peace and security were restored in the country, and some restrictions have already been lifted. In addition to that, after taking note of these progresses, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK have eased their travel advices to Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian authorities are committed to guarantee the constitutional order and the rule of law, a precondition for democracy. This is precisely the reason why a state of emergency had to be implemented, prohibiting among others any communication of citizens with organizations proscribed as terrorists.

Despite his awareness of these provisions, Dr. Merera Gudina allegedly met and discussed with the leader of a group listed as terrorist in Brussels from 7-9 November 2016. Hence, the arrest of Dr Merera Gudina is not related with the meeting in the European Parliament but the alleged discussion with the leader of a terrorist group. If this meeting is confirmed by the investigation, this would have to be considered as a clear and deliberate violation of the state of emergency.

We understand the concern of our friends and partners, and kindly request them to respect the government’s responsibility to ensure law and order on the case of Dr Merera Gudina and to wait for the completion of the investigation. The government respects the presumption of innocence and did not qualify Dr Merera Gudina of  being “criminal” or otherwise.

On 17 December 2016, the 11th Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Day was colorfully celebrated in Brussels. Members from the Ethiopian diaspora living in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg came to our Embassy to jointly observe this special day. After a brief presentation on the Ethiopian Federal structure, the involvement and coexistence of multiple Nations, Nationalities and People’s of Ethiopia and on the current situation and development of the country, the participants interactively discussed these issues, and concluded the celebration by enjoying together traditional food, drinks and music.

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Statement by Mr. Tesfaye Daba at the 44th session of the ACP parliamentary, about the arrest of Dr. Merera Gudina after his trip to Brussels where he issued a joint statement with Dr Berhanu Nega, chairman of the armed group Ginbot 7 that has been identified as a terrorist organization by the Ethiopian Parliament.

Mr Tesfaye Daba is Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Standing Committee of the House of People’s Representatives of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Read further:

Statement by Mr. Tesfaye Daba on arrest of Dr Merera Gudina

Statement by Mr. Tesfaye Daba on the relations with the European Parliament

In a meeting held between Foreign Minister Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu and Claudia Wiedey, Head of European External Action Service (EEAS) for Horn of Africa, East Africa and Indian Ocean today (Wednesday 14), the two sides affirmed the need to forge a broad spectrum of cooperation.

Recalling the strategic engagement signed between the EU and Ethiopia this year, Claudia Wiedey noted that the agreement gave further impetus to the relations the two sides cherished for many years.

The Strategic Engagement focuses on six sectoral dialogues: regional peace and security; countering terrorism and violent radicalization; migration; social and economic development, investment and trade; governance and human rights; and climate change and environmental cooperation.

Claudia said as the EU was following the case closely, it would like to welcome the reforms being made by the government regarding addressing the problems related to unrests in some parts of Oromia and Amhara Regional States.

Dr. Workneh on his part said, “We focus on the partnership that we build over the years, I think, that is the most important one.” Mentioning Ethiopia’s commitment towards establishing a continuous dialogue for enhanced cooperation on migration and mobility, Dr. Workneh noted, especially as the chair of the next EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative meeting, the country would closely work on creating a framework for policy and dialogue and also on sharing knowledge and experiences to strengthen cooperation.

The Foreign Minister noted the government’s thriving efforts in bringing about the necessary solutions to fill socio-economic gaps within the society and mentioned the positive responses garnered from the wider mass.

Source: MFA Ethiopia