The spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, gave the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing today (05 January 2020) to the media. In his presentation, the Ambassador focused on activities related to the law enforcement operation in Tigray, the current Ethiopia-Sudan Border dispute, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and citizen-centered diplomatic activities within the past two weeks. Please find the summary here:

I. DEVELOPMENTS IN TIGRAY

1. Briefings to Ambassadors and HRDG representatives

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr.DemekeMekonnen, together with senior government officials, discussed yesterday with Ambassadors and representatives of members of Human and Resilience Donor Group (HRDG) on the current humanitarian situation in Tigray.

• Mr.Demeke appreciated member countries of the Group for their support and briefed the Ambassadors on the ongoing humanitarian activities in the Tigray region and the results achieved thus far.
• The Deputy Prime Minister said food items, commodities, and medical supplies are being provided in the region to address the needs of the beneficiaries.
• As agreed between the Government of Ethiopia and the UN Resident Coordinator, and using the existing coordination mechanism, the provision of humanitarian assistance is going as planned said the Deputy Prime Minister.
• Recalling the colossal destruction caused on infrastructure by the TPLF junta, Mr.Demeke briefed the Ambassadors on the daunting task of reconstruction that is now underway with telecommunication lines being restored in almost all parts of the region and financial institutions resumed their operations.
• Relevant government institutions are working closely with donor communities and will continue to do so to effectively and timely address issues of refugees and those who need humanitarian assistance.
• The interim administration is also working tirelessly in making sure that different levels of the administration of the region provide the necessary services including engaging the community to effectively respond to the development needs of the people in the region.
• Ministers and other officials of the Ethiopian government present at the meeting also provided detailed information on the work that is underway to address the humanitarian situation in Tigray.
• An understanding was reached to continue the engagement with the Group to work together to further scale-up humanitarian activities in the region.
• The Ambassadors appreciated the government of Ethiopia for taking the initiative to brief them on current issues in detail.

2. TIGRAY INTERIM ADMINISTRATION

• The process of disarming illegally armed militia and Special Forces is progressing well. Many militia members have been disarmed and Special Forces of Tigray have returned their arms peacefully. Peace is returning to the region gradually.

• The interim administration is resuming public service activities. Civil servants are returned and have resumed their services, in some regions 80-90 % of them have already returned to work. Kebele and woreda administrations have already restructured in many of the zones in the region.

• The interim administration is working hand in hand with the command post to restore peace, stability, and security in the region.

• The interim administration has reorganized the regional cabinet. Qualified candidates have been appointed.

• Telecom, electricity and bank services, and other infrastructural services have started to be given in some zones. Some of the Zones, including southern zones, eastern zones-Adigrat, and Abiadi- are getting power supplies. In the coming few days with the resumption of telecommunication services, full banking services will be acquired.

• Public support for the interim administration has been good. The interim government has been engaged in dialogue with the public and in all of the discussions, the public strongly condemned the TPLF for attacking the National Defense Forces. They have ensured that they will stand with the new administration.

• Government support to the interim administration-in terms of humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, and budget allocation-has been very impressive. Some people are at risk in terms of food supply and relief and emergency activities are going on in the region. The only thing is to speed up and strengthen the distribution to all woredas and cities until all needy people are addressed in the region.

• The interim government is working on further engaging in humanitarian assistance, rehabilitation, and restoration of peace and security cooperating with the federal government. The interim government is designing the recovery of damaged infrastructure based on assessment.

• There is a plan to conduct a free, transparent, and democratic 6th general election. The interim administration is creating a conducive environment for the upcoming election. It has invited all opposition political parties in the region. The people of Tigray will freely elect the leaders and establish their administration to meet the ultimate objective of the interim administration.

II. RECENT MILITARY DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BORDER AREAS WITH SUDAN

1. THE REALITY ON THE BORDER ISSUE

• Ethiopia has always been by the side of Sudan and its people whenever they face some natural and manmade problems. What has happened in our common border recently did not commensurate with the longstanding principle of solidarity and fraternity that existed between the two countries.

• Starting from November 9, 2020, Ethiopia has observed that the Sudanese Military Forces have launched organized attacks by using heavy machine guns and armored convoy on the border areas.

• Agricultural products of Ethiopian farmers are looted, their camps are vandalized, and they are also hampered from harvesting their farms. Many civilians have been murdered and wounded.

2. ONGOING EFFORTS IN SOLVING THE BORDER ISSUE AND THE WAY FORWARD

• The Ethiopia-Sudan High-Level Political Committee recently has discussed the issue in Khartoum. The meeting is the second of its kind and it will continue in Addis Ababa.

• Ethiopia wants to redouble its efforts to translate the strong bilateral relation with Sudan into more strategic cooperation (Minister for Transport has visited Sudan to discuss with her Sudanese counterpart the cooperation projects on port utilization and railway development).

• Ethiopia believes that agricultural activities can be successful if only peace prevails in the area and mutual destabilization would help neither of the two sides. Thus, the issue should only be solved through dialogue.

III. ON GERD

• Ethiopia and Sudan accepted the draft document of the AU on the continuation of the trilateral negotiation, a defined role of the AU experts.

• There is an agreement on most of the issues of the filling and operation of the dam but there are differences in the future water development projects on the Abbay Basin.

• The trilateral meetings was scheduled to continue at the expert’s level with oversight of ministers of water affairs, to take stock of agreed and outstanding issues to be presented to the six ministers meeting that is expected to be held on Sunday the 10th of January 2021. But the program on Monday was cancelled because of the absence of Sudan.

IV. CITIZEN-CENTRED DIPLOMACY

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia launches a two-month-long social media campaign on Saturday, trending under the phrase #RisingEthiopia and targeting all Ethiopians and those of Ethiopian origin.

The campaign aims to promote the good qualities of Ethiopia and assuage the effects of the misguided media narrative that dominated the air for the last couple of months.

Besides mobilizing Ethiopians living abroad for a common good, the campaign will also introduce Ethiopian investment potential to the international community and build up Ethiopia as an emerging tourism destination.

 

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr. Demeke Mekonnen discussed today (January 04) with Ambassadors and representatives of members of Human and Resilience Donor Group (HRDG) on the current humanitarian situation in Tigray.

Attending the meeting were also H.E. Mufarihat Kamil, Minister of Peace, H.E.Redwan Hussein, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mitiku Kassa Commissioner for National Disaster Risk Management, and Director for Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA).

Mr. Demeke appreciated member countries of the Group for their support and briefed the Ambassadors on the ongoing humanitarian activities in the Tigray region and the results achieved thus far.
The Deputy Prime Minister said food items, commodities, and medical supplies are being provided in the region to address the needs of the beneficiaries.

As agreed between the Government of Ethiopia and the UN Resident Coordinator, and using the existing coordination mechanism, the provision of humanitarian assistance is going as planned said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Recalling the colossal destruction caused on infrastructure by the TPLF junta, Mr. Demeke briefed the Ambassadors on the daunting task of reconstruction that is now underway with telecommunication lines being restored in almost all parts of the region and financial institutions resumed their operations.

The Deputy Prime Minister also said that relevant government institutions are working closely with donor communities and will continue to do so to effectively and timely address issues of refugees and those who need humanitarian assistance.

The interim administration is also working tirelessly in making sure that different levels of the administration of the region provide the necessary services including engaging the community to effectively respond to the development needs of the people in the region, said Mr. Demeke.

Ministers and other officials of the Ethiopian government present at the meeting also provided detailed information on the work that is underway to address the humanitarian situation in Tigray.

An understanding was reached to continue the engagement with the Group to work together to further scale-up humanitarian activities in the region.

The Ambassadors appreciated the government of Ethiopia for taking the initiative to brief them on current issues in detail.

(An update on) TRIPARTITE MEETING OF MINISTERS OF WATER AFFAIRS ON THE GRAND ETHIOPIAN RENAISSANCE DAM

Addis Ababa (04 January 2021)

Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy – Ethiopia
=============

The virtual meeting of Ministers Water Affairs of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan scheduled for today could not be held due to the non-attendance of the delegation of the Sudan. The Delegation of Egypt, AU assigned experts, and observers attended the meeting following the invitation extended by Ethiopia – the chair of the meeting.

It is to be recalled that Ethiopia, while communicating its reservations to the chairperson of the AU Executive Council, had agreed to adopt the document drafted by the AU assigned experts as an input to the trilateral negotiation.

Nevertheless, the meeting planned to take stock of agreed and outstanding issues could not be held due to the absence of the Sudanese delegation. Ethiopia notified this development to the chairperson of the AU Executive Council.

The virtual meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Water Affairs of Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan is held on 03 January 2021. The meeting is convened by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the AU Executive Council.
The Ministers exchanged views on the continuation of the trilateral negotiation focusing on a draft document presented by the experts assigned by the Chairperson of the African Union. Ethiopia pronounced its positive outlook towards the draft document and expressed its willingness to use it as a single work document for the trilateral negotiation. Similarly, Sudan conveyed the importance of the document for the progress of the negotiation and its willingness to proceed with the negotiation with a defined role of the AU experts. Egypt categorically rejected the document.
Most of the issues on the first filling and annual operation of the GERD are agreed on. The main difference lies on the co-relations between the GERD Guidelines and Rules and the future water development projects on the Abbay Basin.
The GERD is a non-consumptive hydroelectric generating dam. Any agreement over the dam, which is being negotiated in the absence of a comprehensive water treaty and the prevalence of an unjust status-quo, shall be considerate of these fundamental factors. Ethiopia will not agree to a GERD deal that will in any way restrict its right to use the Nile waters.
On this basis, Ethiopia is committed to conclude the negotiation with good faith to reach an agreement. accordingly, Ethiopia forwarded alternative approaches to Egypt and Sudan, which is hoped to garner their affirmative response.
In the coming week, the trilateral meetings will continue at expert’s level with oversight of ministers of water affairs, to take stock of agreed and outstanding issues to be presented to the six ministers meeting that is expected to be held on Sunday the 10th of January 2021.

It has been two months since the TPLF clique has launched its onslaught on the Ethiopian Defence Forces stationed in Mekelle. What they call ‘a pre-emptive lightning’ attack has unveiled the true nature of the group both to the international community and the people of Ethiopia.

Ethiopians have observed how the group gradually morphed from being the ‘friends of the oppressed’ into evil incarnate during the group’s grip on power for almost three decades. However, the unwarranted strike not only took the nation by surprise but shock it to the core given the detail of the project that mercilessly butchered the unsuspected soldiers as well as hundreds of civilian people in Mai-Kadra town.

It was not that hard for Ethiopian’s to adjust their understanding of the group and to what extent it debases itself in its cupidity and lust for power.

But it was extremely hard, if not impossible, to change the minds of the international community that the clique stupefied with its propaganda for almost three to four decades. Thus, we were not that much surprised to observe renowned media outlets succumb to the group’s propaganda and kept on philosophizing on why and how the government started the war.

They prefer to stick to their narrative that the government used the law enforcement operation as a pretext to attack the group and weaken the federal governing structure than digging to find facts on the ground. Thanks to one of the members of the junta who officially gloated on their own media the clique’s success in the pre-emptive attack of the Northern Command, the world seems to understand who the belligerent side was.

The junta has been active in leading an orchestrated mainstream and social media campaign that perpetuates lies and seems to impair some members of the international community’s ability to pass informed decisions on the matter.

Sensing the government’s and the people of Ethiopia’s uncompromising attitude to protect the country’s sovereignty, the clique had launched rockets to cities in the Amhara region and neighbouring Eritrea in its desperate attempt to cover up its criminal deeds under the ‘guise’ of regionalized war.

Due to the inflated self-image that it has portrayed in the minds of the international community, the group wanted to sell the message that it was not a group of thugs under a ‘wanted list’ by the government but a legitimate group that can stand on equal footing with the federal government of Ethiopia and the Eritrean government.

The trick seemed to have worked for a while when the international community urged and sometimes ‘pressurized’ the Ethiopian government to sit for negotiation with the criminals.

I have seen the impact of the cliques’ propaganda during my tour in Europe leading an Ethiopian delegation and met as well as brief the Leaders on the objectives of the law enforcement operation. Although they understood what was going on the ground, they also seem to have been bought into some of the clique’s intentionally exaggerated and distorted narratives propelled by disproportionate coverage of the issue by the mainstream media and social media accounts of well-known people and trollers too.

It took quite a time to make the leaders really understand that the group had been playing victim while it was the belligerent, summarily kill people, displace them and loot their property while implicating it on the federal government.

Our delegation’s efforts were successful although some statements issued by the European Union seem to indicate the presence of remaining undercurrents which, we suspect, are the influence of the clique’s propaganda.

Just like in Ethiopia, in most of the neighbouring countries that I visited recently, the mainstream and social media penetration is relatively low compared to the developed nations. Thus, it would be very hard to get leaders that are easily deceived by the sheer volume of information on the media, which may or may not be true.

This was helpful to the delegation that I led to these countries since they were not victims of prejudices regarding the objectives of the law enforcement operation in Tigray. Their direct or indirect experience with the junta, during its time at the wheel, might have also contributed a lot in sympathizing with the law enforcement measure taken against the TPLF clique.

The success of the diplomatic efforts of Ethiopia and its genuine and friendly attitude towards its neighbours has already been manifested during the recently held IGAD’s 38^th Extraordinary Assembly.

We believe that the media are there not just to inform but to influence policymakers too. But unless the media remains to be ‘the marketplace of ideas,’ in its true sense, then relevant stories tend to be stifled and the true nature of things left to be uncovered.

A casual observation of social media messages, for instance under the heading #Ethiopia on Twitter, at any given moment, will tell you how an organised and orchestrated group stifles the free flow of information by releasing a cumbersome amount of lies almost on every second.

If such lies are accompanied by the mainstream media, which already suffer from selective perception in dealing with some issues related to the law enforcement operation, then one can find potent weapons to attack the truth.

Yes, in the absence of information and access to facts, journalism suffers. But when ample information and evidence are provided and reveal the naked truth on issues of the law enforcement operation, the government and people of Ethiopia expect a fair, if not objective, report from seasoned media outlets.

Yes, no access to banking, telecommunication and transport and other services is a news story. But how is that not newsworthy when evidence is provided on the responsible bodies who disrupted such services in the first place? And above all, doesn’t the restoration of communication and electric lines qualify as a news story? To my knowledge, no media has made a report on the video that was provided by the Ethiopian Telecommunication office at Mekelle showing how some people cut the lines before the government announced the capture of Mekelle.

No one also reported the TPLF clique-led bank robberies that made resuming banking services difficult in the region. There was no mentioning of the destruction on infrastructure which includes the destruction of Axum Airport.

Despite the continued misrepresentation in the media, we are really deep into forming a new administrative structure in the Tigray region. The interim government of Tigray has been busy restoring normal administrative services in the region by forming responsible bodies that are deemed to fit to serve the public.

Leaders of competing political parties even get the chance, for the first time in decades, to serve the public and voice their opinions on things that matter in the region.

The interim government has been mobilizing the public from the grassroots level and engaging all people from all walks of life to participate in the process of normalizing life in the region. People in Tigray deserve peace and they are eventually getting it. Isn’t that good news? But true to form, some media outlets have never considered this as a legitimate agenda for coverage.

The ‘good news doesn’t sell media outlets,’ seem to be unhappy with the unexpected demise of the TPLF clique. The main news actors, whom the Ethiopian government is hunting for criminal deeds, are no more in the scene.

The reality on the ground now is relative peace in the region and remarkable joint efforts of the federal government and the interim government of Tigray to rehabilitate affected people and displace ones in addition to rebuilding public goods that were demolished by the irresponsible criminal clique.

The media seem to reverberate with unfounded statements by some international organizations and aid agencies, which sometimes amount to outright infringements on the sovereignty of the country. Echoing and magnifying every accusation, including those forwarded by international agencies and their leaders is a far cry from Ethical journalism.

Reporting some sporadic incidents in the Tigray region as manifestations of protracted insurgencies wouldn’t also help anyone. What makes us free all here is the public’s right to know the truth shall not be hampered by hidden agendas and vested interests of various bodies.

As I write this, people in the Tigray region are enjoying the fruits of peace and tranquillity and have started to exercise their rights, such as entertaining pluralistic views regarding politics or anything else for that matter, for the first time since the change in the political dispensation two and half years ago.

The TPLF clique, for decades, have been trying to persuade the people of Tigray, other Ethiopians and the international community that the fate and the wellbeing of the Tigrean people are intertwined with the fate of the TPLF. In a sense, it amounts to say that the Tigrean people are one and the same with the TPLF. How on earth is this humanly possible? And yet some people, including some elements in the international community, seem to buy this propaganda.

Following the capture of Mekelle by the federal government forces, the opposite of what many have feared to occur has happened. Now people are free, people have realized that the fate of the Tigrean people cannot be tied to the life span of a political party, which proved itself criminal at the end of the day.

People and professional journalists should carefully consume the social media messages of the privileged few Tigreans who happen to live abroad. Their lies, and sometimes genuine information formulated on unfounded fear, should not confuse the international community on the true needs of the public in the Tigray region.

Talk to people in the streets of Mekelle or anywhere in Tigray, they will gladly tell you that they are happy for not sacrificing their lives to the selfish needs of the TPLF clique who did almost nothing to the betterment of the Tigrean people during their nearly 30 years stay in power.

The government in concert with pertinent local and international partners has been providing the affected community in Tigray with all the needed humanitarian aids in addition to carrying out coordinated activities to sustainably rehabilitate the people.

I have observed that some Ethiopians who live abroad and those of Ethiopian origin are countering the false media narratives of TPLF sympathizers and reckless statements by some politicians and ‘scholars’ in Europe and the US. Some Ethiopians have gone to the extent of petitioning against statements made by our partners in Europe that failed to paint the true picture in Tigray. I appreciate all of these initiatives but a lot remains to be done.

Although the truth finally prevails, we should not idly wait for it to arrive. We should strive, at least, to minimize the damage that the lies inflict on the image of our country and our people. While thanking those compatriots who relentlessly try to disseminate the truth about the situation, I would like to remind all that you don’t need to be well versed to write complicated issues in defending the sovereignty of your country.

You can at least tweet unceasingly on the positive things of your country. You may have to prefer group efforts to individual ones to exert maximum pressure. Remember, we are now in a different time where technology is dramatically shifting the meaning and works of diplomats.

In a sense, with social media at hand, every Ethiopian living abroad is his country’s diplomat. The new diplomacy along with the traditional ones impersonated through our diplomats in various missions should work in tandem for exerting maximum pressure to keep our country’s integrity and well-being intact.

The way the media portrays the federal government’s law enforcement operation and the orchestrated heinous and inimical messages of some social media trollers is a wake-up call to our Ministry.

It has reminded us of the need to undertake institutional level transformation on using social media platforms in addition to the mainstream ones. We are now giving training to our staffers to make them fit the requirements of the new age diplomacy.

We have also been working with social media users who relate their works in various languages and subject matters to address audiences who are fragmented in line with age, language and other interests. Building media institutions that are well versed with the application of the new age communication platforms should also be the assignment of the government to dwell serious time on.

The Ethiopian herald January 1/2021

#Spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, gave the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing on December 29, 2020 to the media. In his presentation, the Ambassador focused on the latest developments regarding the law enforcement operation in #Tigray, the recent situation over the #Ethiopian-#Sudanese border, and Economic and Citizen-centered diplomatic activities as well as efforts to employ #Publicdiplomacy to create awareness on current situations in Ethiopia and other key national issues. Here is the summary of the ambassador’s briefing:

I. Latest Developments in Tigray
==============
1. Things in Tigray are returning to normalcy:

• Service givers (telecommunication, electricity, banking and aviation) are reporting that they are resuming services gradually

• Tigray Interim Administration has appointed cabinet members and continued encouraging active public participation in administrative matters

• Ministry of Trade and Industry is consulting with manufacturing industries in Tigray on restoring operation and services in the region.

• Government has continued to rebuilding infrastructure

2. Dominant and misguided narratives regarding the operation in Tigray are slowly changing

• the public and , particularly, the media are slowly but surely understanding that the TPLF clique has disrupted electric and communication lines, demolished bridges, roads and airline runways (such as Aksum Airport) in addition to the fact that it has been fabricating lies that used to dominate the media

• People (both in Tigray and outside) are affirming that equating the people of Tigray with that of TPLF has been proved erroneous (plurality of views is made possible in Tigray following the law enforcement operation)

II. Recent military developments in the border areas with Sudan
==================
Ethiopian delegation (the Ethiopia-Sudan High-Level Political Committee) led by H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and the Sudanese side led by the Cabinet Affairs Minister Omer Manis have discussed the issue.

1. The Ethiopian team thanked the Sudanese for positive deeds
=========================
• for being delisted from the state sponsors of terrorism
• for the unwavering support and understanding for our law and order enforcement operation in the Tigray Region
• for letting our citizens crossing their boarder and cordially hosting them
• affirmed to redouble our efforts to translate the strong bilateral relation into more strategic cooperation (Minister for Transport has visited Sudan to discuss with her Sudanese counterpart the cooperation projects on port utilization and railway development)

2. Ethiopia’s understanding of the reality on the border issue
===============
• what has happened in our common boarder recently did not commensurate with the longstanding principle of solidarity and fraternity that existed between the two countries
• Starting from November 9, 2020, we are observing organized attacks by the Sudanese Military Forces using heavy machine guns and armoured convoy
• Agricultural products of Ethiopian farmers are looted, their camps are vandalized, and they are also hampered from harvesting their own farms. A number of civilians have been murdered and wounded
• it is endangering the agreements we have reached to maintain the status quo in the area north of Mount Dagelish

3. Ethiopia’s stance on the issue
=============
• it is our firm position that reactivating the existing mechanisms and finding an amicable solution on settlement and cultivation are the only way to bring lasting solution to the issues in our common border.
• We believe that securitization and unnecessary escalation will only worsen the situation and create pointless tension in the border area and disrupt daily activities of our peoples living in the border area.

4. The Sudanese stance
==========
• Insisted to determine a date for the start of the border demarcation process (They said when the borders are demarcated, we can discuss anything, including the issue of Ethiopian farmers on the Sudanese territory)

5. Result of the meeting
=======
• The two sides issued a joint communiqué agreeing to submit reports to the leadership of the two countries
• Ethiopia believes that the issue can be solved through dialogue

6. Messages from H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed
================
• Ethiopia has always been keen on the stability of its neighborhoods to the same extent that it is keen on the stability and security of its people
• When the revolution erupted in Sudan to achieve the demand of the people for freedom and justice, the Government and people of Ethiopia stood by its brothers in Sudan
• he said some parties seek to create tensions between Sudan and Ethiopia
• he said the historical relations between Ethiopia and Sudan are too deep to be shaken by the desire of conspirators

III. Economic and Citizen-centred Diplomacy

• State Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Tsion Teklu has participated in an online investment forum prepared to commemorate the 30th year of the commencement of diplomatic relations between #Ethiopia and #Israel. The Forum discusses investment opportunities in Ethiopia.

• Investors from #India, #Turkey, the #UAE, and #China have shown interest to invest in Ethiopia and some of the representatives of the companies in these countries have paid a visit to the country. The companies are interested to invest in agriculture, construction, textile, edible oil production and mining.

• Ethiopia has repatriated 328 citizens from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia

IV. Public Diplomacy

Ministry of Foreign Affairs conferred with the representatives of the Ethiopian Public Diplomacy Team (Cluster leaders) on the need to create awareness on current developments in Ethiopia and other key national agendas to people in Ethiopia and the international community.

#MoFA

 

Communique of the 38th Extraordinary Assembly of GAD Heads of State and Government,
Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti
20th December 2020

As the 38th #IGAD Extraordinary Summit of Heads of States & Governments kicked off today (December 20, 2020) in Djibouti, Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and his delegation that comprises of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen were attending the Summit along with leaders of member states of the IGAD region.

Following a welcoming speech from President Ismail Omar Guelleh of #Djibouti, #Sudan’s President Hamdok, the Chairperson of the IGAD Assembly made remarks where he commended the IGAD and its member states for the huge success in combating #COVID19, effectively forcing back the locust invasion & fast-tracking the democratic transition in #SouthSudan.

The President appreciated the spirit of brotherhood the leaders demonstrated to deliver lasting solutions in many areas & called on the international community to remain steadfast to their commitments in working closely with the regional organ.

Noting the need to do more on maintaining regional peace, President Hamdok expressed his firm belief that the summit will provide the necessary platform for dialogues on current pressing issues in the region.

Executive Secretary of IGAD, Dr. Workneh Gebeyhu in his remarks noted, against the backdrop of the Covid Pandemic, floods, and locust invasion Governments of member states have clearly shown their faithfulness to the vision of IGAD which made the regional organization won the confidence of international partners.

Dr. Workneh, congratulating the government and people of Sudan for being removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, noted that it will play a vital role in ensuring the political transition in the country.

The Executive Secretary mentioned the recently inaugurated #Moyale One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) one among such commitments towards materializing the IGAD vision- regional integration.

The #Somalia-#Somaliland talks in Djibouti spearheaded by President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Premier Abiy Ahmed showcased “our capacity to resolve our own problems by ourselves,” he said.

Dr. Workneh, in light of taking a proactive measure on disease control, also called for the full operationalization of the IGAD emergency fund.

Chairperson of the African Union Commission ( #Africanunion C.) Moussa Faki Mahamat, in his speech, commended the Government of Ethiopia for its bold steps to preserve the integrity of the country.

Mr. Moussa Faki also stressed the need to sustain efforts to help solve the issues of affected people in the aftermath of the operation.

The current developments in the IGAD region, the state of #COVID19 in the region, and corresponding responses, as well as other matters of regional concerns, will be discussed at the Summit.

 

Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali is participating in the 38th Extraordinary summit of the Assembly of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (#IGAD) Heads of State and Government that is currently underway in Djibouti.

“The strength of stability in our region is based on cooperation for growth and development,” he tweeted adding, “I am glad as leaders we can come around the table and discuss pressing issues in our region.”

On the margins of the summit, he met with the Prime Minister of #Sudan, H.E. Abdalla Hamdok to discuss bilateral issues as a follow up to their last meeting in Addis Abeba.

He also met and discussed with the President of the Federal Republic of #Somalia H.E Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo regarding recent regional developments and on how to strengthen cooperation among IGAD countries.

Meeting with H.E. Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, Vice President of #SouthSudan, the Premier discussed bilateral issues and the continued efforts for peace underway in South Sudan.

President of the Republic of #Djibouti, H.E. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of #Kenya, H.E. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, and the African Union Commission (#AUC) Chairperson, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat are also attending the summit.
#MoFA

State Minister H.E. Ambassador Redwan Hussein and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti led a discussion today (December 19) with Ethiopian Social media activists on the importance of settling agendas that matter to the public at large.

The discussion covered pivotal national issues, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the law enforcement operation in Tigray, the fruits and challenges of the reform process as well as regional and international interests the country aspires to protect.

At the occasion, Ambassador Redwan said social media activists are encouraged to focus on issues that matter to the lives of Ethiopians and avoid destructive and petty nuances.

As agenda setters, social media activists are expected to put the government accountable for its actions, be aware of national interests, and agents of solidarity and brotherhood of the people, he added.

Ambassador Dina Mufti, recalling the swift changes in the media landscape, urged the social media activists to employ the potential of the new communication platforms to advance their country’s interests.

The meeting noted the importance of producing social media outputs tailored to the needs of an identified audience in the international community with specific goals that the country needs to meet for the sake of the wellbeing of the people and the integrity of the nation.

The meeting draws renowned Ethiopian social media activists who relate their works in English, French and Arabic languages, in addition to Local languages.

Participants thanked the ministry for creating the opportunity to deliberate on important issues that helped them focus on the big picture regarding their country’s domestic and international engagements.