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Ethiopia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gedu Andargachew, received a 17-member delegation of the European Parliament at his office today.

They discussed the ongoing inclusive reform in Ethiopia and ways to bolster the strategic ties between the European Union and the Horn of African nation.

The series of visits paid by members of the parliament show EU’s strong ties with Ethiopia, the Foreign Minister indicated.

He briefed the delegation on the homegrown economic reform agenda launched to spur economic growth as well as measures being taken to widen the political space and build democracy in the country.

He also told them about Ethiopia’s continental and regional peace building efforts and thanked the EU for its unwavering development and humanitarian assistance to efforts being made to bring peace and stability in Ethiopia and the region.

The Foreign Minister finally called upon the EU to continue its assistance to Ethiopia’s development and democracy as well as urged them to encourage investment in Ethiopia from Member States of European Union.

Tomas Tobe, member of the European Parliament and head of the delegation, for his part appreciated the initiative taken by the Government of Ethiopia for peace in the region in general and Eritrea in particular.

He congratulated Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed for winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize and commended the ongoing economic growth in Ethiopia and its efforts to build democracy, improve the lives of refugees and bring lasting peace in the region.

Tobe stated that the European Union will continue its support to make the ongoing inclusive reform in Ethiopia a success.

The European Parliament is made up of 751 Members elected in the 28 Member States of the enlarged European Union.

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has left for Moscow to attend the Russia-Africa forum, scheduled to take place from October 23-24 in Sochi.

The forum will be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The event will gather Russian and African officials along with business leaders to discuss and sign trade, economic, and investment agreements.

On the sidelines of the forum, Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President on issues regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

Addis Ababa October 17   /2019 with the introduction of e-visa service back in June 2017, Ethiopia has opened its doors for foreign visitors wider than ever before.

Over 200,000 people from 217 countries visited Ethiopia so far, which the Ethiopian Airlines Group said a result of cooperation between the Group and Ethiopian Immigration Services.

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Tewolde Gebre Mariam said “the milestone in the number of travelers who visited Ethiopia through the e-visa service comes as good news to all of us in the tourism and travel industry.”  

He said “the 200,000 milestone is indicative of the fact that the number of visitors who use the digitized service is on the rise. This will bring more benefits to Ethiopia in terms of facilitating travel and promoting tourism, trade and investment to the country.”

The boom in the global meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions – MICE industry – along with the e-visa service gives Ethiopia an edge to reap the benefits that the industry offers.

The air connectivity Ethiopia enjoys as the hub of Ethiopian Airlines Group coupled with the mushrooming of hotels and lodgings further elevates Ethiopia to be preferred MICE hub, he noted.

In the past few years, Ethiopia has taken significant strides including the e-visa service towards making travel simple and seamless, he indicated.

Besides the e-visa service, travelers flying Ethiopian also enjoy seamless and end-to-end service using the innovative mobile application of the airline.

World leaders congratulated Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia on winning the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said his vision helped Ethiopia and Eritrea achieve a historic rapprochement.

“This milestone has opened up new opportunities for the region to enjoy security and stability, and Prime Minister Ahmed’s leadership has set a wonderful example for others in and beyond Africa looking to overcome resistance from the past and put people first,” he said.

Ethiopia’s PM Dr Abiy Wins 2019 Nobel Peace Prize (October 11, 2019)

Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia has won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

He was awarded the prize for his efforts to “achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea,” said the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a statement.

The prize is also meant to recognize all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions, it said.

When Dr Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in April 2018, he made it clear that he wished to resume peace talks with Eritrea.

In close cooperation with Isaias Afwerki, the President of Eritrea, Dr Abiy Ahmed quickly worked out the principles of a peace agreement to end the long “no peace, no war” stalemate between the two countries.

These principles are set out in the declarations that Prime Minister Dr Abiy and President Isayas signed in Asmara and Jeddah last July and September.

An important premise for the breakthrough was Dr Abiy Ahmed’s unconditional willingness to accept the arbitration ruling of an international boundary commission in 2002.

Peace does not arise from the actions of one party alone. When Prime Minister Dr Abiy reached out his hand, President Isaias grasped it, and helped to formalise the peace process between the two countries.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes the peace agreement will help to bring about positive change for the entire populations of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

In Ethiopia, even if much work remains, Dr Abiy Ahmed has initiated important reforms that give many citizens hope for a better life and a brighter future.

He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalising outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life.

He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.

In the wake of the peace process with Eritrea, Prime Minister Dr Abiy has engaged in other peace and reconciliation processes in East and Northeast Africa.

In September 2018 he and his government contributed actively to the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Djibouti after many years of political hostility.

Additionally, Dr Abiy Ahmed has sought to mediate between Kenya and Somalia in their protracted conflict over rights to a disputed marine area.

There is now hope for a resolution to this conflict. In Sudan, the military regime and the opposition have returned to the negotiating table.

On the 17th of August, they released a joint draft of a new constitution intended to secure a peaceful transition to civil rule in the country. Prime Minister Dr Abiy played a key role in the process that led to the agreement.

Ethiopia is a country of many different languages and peoples. Lately, old ethnic rivalries have flared up. According to international observers, up to three million Ethiopians may be internally displaced. That is in addition to the million or so refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries.

As Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmed has sought to promote reconciliation, solidarity and social justice. However, many challenges remain unresolved. Ethnic strife continues to escalate, and we have seen troubling examples of this in recent weeks and months.

No doubt some people will think this year’s prize is being awarded too early. The Norwegian Nobel Committee believes it is now that Dr Abiy Ahmed’s efforts deserve recognition and need encouragement.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee hopes that the Nobel Peace Prize will strengthen Prime Minister Dr Abiy in his important work for peace and reconciliation.

Ethiopia is Africa’s second most populous country and has East Africa’s largest economy. A peaceful, stable and successful Ethiopia will have many positive side-effects, and will help to strengthen fraternity among nations and peoples in the region.

With the provisions of Alfred Nobel’s will firmly in mind, the Norwegian Nobel Committee sees Dr Abiy Ahmed as the person who in the preceding year has done the most to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019.

Speaker of the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) of Ethiopia, Tagesse Chafo today received a delegation from the United States led by Congressman David Price.

The Speaker on the occasion provided a briefing to the delegation on the key reforms undertaken in the country.

He told the delegation about the massive works carried out by the government to make the upcoming election free, fair and democratic, including the re-establishment of the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).

The Speaker also briefed the delegation about the reforms undertaken within the House of People’s Representatives to better serve the public.

After the briefing, David Price pledged that the United States would strengthen its support for the sustainability of the ongoing reform agenda the Government of Ethiopia.

“We will contribute our share for the conduct of the May 2020 Ethiopia’s general elections in a free, fair and democratic manner,” he said.

The Speaker also thanked the US Embassy in Addis Ababa for the support it has been providing for the ongoing Ethiopian Government’s reform agenda.