Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has received the Nobel Peace Prize
in Oslo, Norway this afternoon.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, Chairperson of
the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award is in recognition of his crucial
role in creating peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
“You seized the initiative and were
the main architect behind the peace negotiations that were successfully
conducted with Eritrea,” she said.
According to the Chairperson, the
Prime Minister Dr Abiy was also awarded for his efforts to build democracy in
Ethiopia and contribution to peace and reconciliation processes in East and
North East Africa.
“We are awarding the Peace Prize to
you as an individual because you have personally made an extraordinary
difference across several arenas. It is the totality of your efforts that
convinced us that it is you, Mr. Prime Minister, who have made the most
significant contribution to peace in the past year, ” she said.
In his Nobel lecture, Prime Minister
Dr Abiy thanked the Norwegian Nobel Committee “for recognizing and encouraging
my contribution to a peaceful resolution of the border dispute between Ethiopia
and Eritrea.”
“War is the epitome of hell for all
involved,” he said. “During the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, an estimated
one hundred thousand soldiers and civilians lost their lives.”
“We resolved to turn our “swords into
plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” for the progress and prosperity
of our people,” he noted.
As a result of the peace deal,
families separated for over two decades are now united, diplomatic relations
are fully restored, air and telecommunication services have been
re-established, he said.
“And our focus has now shifted to
developing joint infrastructure projects that will be a critical lever in our
economic ambitions,” he noted.
Over the past few months, Ethiopia
has made historic investments in peace, he said, citing the release of all
political prisoners and the closing of notorious detention facilities where
torture and vile human rights abuses took place, as examples.
He further said “Today, Ethiopia is highly
regarded for press freedom. It is no more a ‘jailor of journalists’. Opposition
leaders of all political stripes are free to engage in peaceful political
activity.”
“We are creating an Ethiopia that is
second to none in its guarantee of freedoms of expression.”
He further said the country has laid
the groundwork for genuine multiparty democracy, and “we will soon hold a free
and fair election.”
The Prime Minister called upon all
“my fellow Ethiopians to join hands and help build a country that offers equal
justice, equal rights, and equal opportunities for all its citizens.”
He also urged them to avoid the path
of extremism and division, powered by politics of exclusion.
In his lecture, the Prime Minister
also expressed his concern over the expanding military presence of global
military superpowers and move by terrorists to establish a foothold in the Horn
of Africa region.
“We do not want the Horn to be a
battleground for superpowers nor a hideout for the merchants of terror and
brokers of despair and misery,” he said.
“We want the Horn of Africa to become
a treasury of peace and progress. Indeed, we want the Horn of Africa to become
the Horn of plenty for the rest of the continent.”
