Ethiopians living in Washington DC and its area have expressed their support to the national defence forces.
In the event organized by the Council for Ethiopian Diaspora Action, they also vowed to provide support to the national defence forces and countering the disinformation being spread by the extremist TPLF sponsored activists.
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia welcomed to his office on Thursday (December 04), the President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), Mr. Mustapha Berraf.
Mr. Mustapha is in Addis Ababa to attend the Association of National Olympic Committee of Africa (ANOCA) Extraordinary General assembly which will be held on the upcoming Sunday.
On the occasion, Mr. Demeke briefed the ANOCA president about the potential of Ethiopian regional cities to host international sports competitions mentioning the construction of stadiums and sports facilities in various parts of the country.
Mr. Mustapha thanked the minister for meeting with him on such short notice and affirmed that ANOCA would continue to work closely with relevant bodies in Ethiopia.
The World Bank has provided $512.5 million in loan and grant to enhance the implementation of Strengthen Ethiopia’s Adaptive Safety Net Project (SEASN).
Of the total, $312.5 million is a grant, while the remaining amount is a loan.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance, Ahmed Shide and World Bank Country Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ousmane Dione, signed the agreement here today.
This financing will allow for more geographic coverage, enable better service delivery, and is an important next step in modernizing Ethiopia’s productive safety net program (PSNP).
SEASN benefits people living in extreme poverty in rural areas and those areas affected by drought.
Taye Atske Selassie, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the UN, held a meeting with Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Head of UNOCHA.
The meeting focused on the agreement signed between Ethiopia and the UN for enhanced coordination mechanism for humanitarian access in Ethiopia.
The two exchanged views on the operationalization of the agreement and the need for the maintenance and restoration of basic infrastructure services in the Tigray region.
It is to be recalled that Ethiopian and the UN yesterday signed an agreement that seeks to enable unimpeded, sustained and secure access for humanitarian personnel and services to areas under the control of the Federal Gov’t in Tigray, the bordering areas of Amhara and Afar regions.
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has held a phone conversation today (December 01) with H.E. Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.
Mr. Demeke commended the long-standing and friendly relationship that exists between the two countries and underlined the need to further strengthen it.
Regarding Tigray, Mr. Demeke said the law enforcement operation has successfully been completed, carefully avoiding civilian casualties, with Mekelle now fully under the control of the national defense forces.
The government will apprehend the leaders and cliques of the TPLF junta, he said adding that some have begun to surrender to the government.
Mr. Demeke said the government is now engaged with reconstruction and rehabilitation, and law and order restoration activities in the region.
The government is working in close consultations and collaboration with the interim government of Tigray that has been active in holding public discussions and organizing regional executive organs.
Mr. Sergei Lavrov, on his part, thanked Mr, Demeke for the briefing and affirmed that Russia respects the territorial integrity of Ethiopia.
Appreciating what the Ethiopian government is doing to protect the rights of civilians and provide humanitarian assistance to affected people, he said Russia believes that ensuring peace in Ethiopia is indispensable to let peace reign in the Horn of Africa.
He said the government of Ethiopia has got the right to enforce law and order in the country without the interference of external parties since the matter is the internal affair of the country.
He further added that Ethiopia and Russia should strive more to scale up their bilateral relations and cooperation in multilateral fora.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed today met with political parties and civil society organizations (CSOs) to discuss about the upcoming general elections scheduled for mid-2021.
The discussion, which took place at the Prime Minister’s office, was attended by the National Electoral Board of Ethiopia (NEBE).
The discussions saw presentation on the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders and an overview of electoral systems.
During the discussion, participants raised among others the following points:
• not rushing to elections without putting the necessary foundations in place• creating an enabling environment
• ensuring the primacy of rule of law preceding the elections
• placement of an election code of conduct for stakeholders including election observers
• stocktaking of legitimate political parties
• engagement of political parties according to the ‘rules of the game’
The Prime Minister on the occasion shared the federal government’s unwavering efforts to lay the foundation for free and fair elections in Ethiopia.
At the end, the participants reached an understanding on ways to ensure that the 2021 elections are democratic.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Demeke Mekonnen received at his office on Monday Parfait Onanga, special envoy of the United Nations for the Horn of Africa.
Talking with the special envoy, Demeke Mekonnen explained that the operation that the federal government is undertaking in the Tigray region aimed at restoring constitutionality and rule of law.
The government is taking all the necessary caution for the protection of civilians and the avoidance of collateral damage during the operation, Demeke added.
The government has succeeded in wresting control of most of the areas in Tigray, he said adding that the government has started to set up interim administrations in the liberated areas.
Since most of the areas are under government control, the government is ready to facilitate the works of humanitarian actors in the region, he said.
He said the government is providing humanitarian assistance to people who need urgent support based on the needs assessment studies conducted by government agencies.
He also explained the government’s readiness to support all Ethiopians who fled the operation to return back to their communities.
The special envoy thanked Demeke for the briefing and underlined the need to continue to ensure the protection of civilians, human rights, and access to humanitarian assistance to the affected areas.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Redwan Hussien received yesterday copies of the credentials of Kang Seokhee, the new ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Ethiopia.
The two discussed the situation in Tigray, access to humanitarian assistance, transportation and communication facilities in the region.
Ethiopian Ambassador to Washington, Fitsum Arega yesterday briefed the Heads of Missions and diplomats of Ethiopia’s neighboring countries accredited to the United States.
The briefing mainly focused on the current situation in Ethiopia in relation to the law enforcement measures in Tigray regional state, according to the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC.
Ambassador Fitsum recounted the efforts by the federal government for dialogue in the past two and half years where by the TPLF’s clique stubbornly rejected and continued to belittle the reform process.
He mentioned that the TPLF gangs crossed the red line when they commit the barbaric and treasonous attack on the unsuspecting Ethiopian National Defense Forces of the Northern Command.
Ambassador Fitsum said the law enforcement operation has been successfully completed after the seizure of Mekelle by the heroic Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF).
He also noted that the remaining task will be apprehending TPLF’s cliques and bring them to justice.
Ambassador Fitsum expressed his gratitude to the leaders and governments of Ethiopia’s neighbors and IGAD member states for standing with us and for their invaluable support to Ethiopia’s sovereignty, national integrity and lasting peace.
The Head of Missions and diplomats thanked Ambassador Fitsum and the Embassy for organizing this timely and important briefing.
They also appreciated the government of Ethiopia for wrapping up the law enforcement operation in a short time with minimum civilian casualties.
The Ambassadors vowed to work closely for the peace and economic integration of IGAD region.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, today spoke over the phone with Foreign Ministers of Norway and Austria, Marie Eriksen and Alexander Schallenberg, respectively.
In a one-to-one discussion he had with the ministers, Demeke spoke at length about the latest situations of the law enforcement operation in Tigray and the humanitarian assistance that the government is providing to civilians.
He said since the law enforcement measure in Tigray is completed, the task ahead is to commence the reconstruction and make sure that people who have fled return back to their homes.
Responding to the Norwegian and Austrian Minister’s quest for the possibility of negotiations with the TPLF clique, Demeke said the government has always been willing to negotiate, but not with criminals.
He underlined that the government has continued negotiating with the Transitional Government of Tigray and the elders and all the relevant bodies in Tigray on a number of issues, including trust building and harmonization.
In addressing concerns over issues of humanitarian assistance, Demeke said a delegation composed of the relevant federal government entities and international humanitarian agencies was dispatched to the areas to assess the humanitarian needs on the ground.
The government, based on recommendations of those needs assessment studies, has started to operate accordingly, he said.
He also said the international humanitarian agencies unceasing support to the government’s efforts in this regard is commendable, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Regarding people who have fled to Sudan, he said the government has set up four camps to receive those who will voluntarily come back to their country.
The Ministers have thanked Demeke for taking his time to address their concerns and affirmed to provide all the necessary support to assist the Ethiopian government’s efforts in addressing humanitarian issues.
In his explanation at the 6th year 2nd extraordinary session of the parliament, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underlined that Ethiopia is a country that Knows diplomacy, and a nation contributed to the existence of international organizations.
“Ethiopia is a founding member of the United Nations and African Union. My message to friends of Ethiopia is that we may be poor but we are not a country that will negotiate our sovereignty. Threatening Ethiopia for coins will not work.” Prime Minister Abiy stressed.
“We have proven that making good relationship with neighboring countries rewarded us with good results,” note Prime Minister Abiy, saying “Imagine what might have happened if we did not reconcile with the neighboring Eritrea.
The decision to accept the Algiers agreement and translate it in to action was made by the assembly of the then Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Front (EPRDF), but the TPLF Junta tried to impede the reconciliation, said the premier.
The people of Eritrea have shown us how the outcomes of the restoration of peace between the two countries benefited both, the premier said.
Eritreans sheltered troops of the Ethiopian National Defence force who fled the unexpected assault from the TPLF Junta forces, and offered them a warm care with full spirit of companionship, Abiy said.
The people of Eritrea practically showed us how the peace agreement reached between the two countries brought many positive things to them.
Prime Minister Abiy has expressed gratitude to the people and governments of Eritrea, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and South Sudan for their support to Ethiopia during the law enforcement measures.
Premier stressed need to further strengthen the relationship between neighboring countries based on mutual interests.