Speaker of House of Federation Delivers Message of PM Abiy Ahmed to the Presidents of the European Council and Commission (June 9, 2021)

The speaker of the FDRE House of Federation, Honourable Adem Farah, has delivered the message of PM Abiy Ahmed to the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, today on the 9th of June 2021.

PM Abiy’s message to President Von Der Leyen was handed over to EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, while the message to President Michel was handed over to Mr. Simon Mordue, his Chief Foreign Policy Advisor. Honourable Adem also met and discussed with EU Commissioner for International Partnership (INTPA), Jutta Urpilainen, Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, and Mr. Stefano Sannino, Secretary General at the European External Action Service on issues of common concerns and interests.

The discussions with the EU officials focused on explaining efforts being made to undertake peaceful, free, and fair national elections on the 21st of June 2021, Ethiopia’s position on the ongoing GERD negotiations, the situation in Tigray, the efforts that are being made to address the humanitarian situation, and steps taken to redress Human Rights violation and other related issues.

EU officials have expressed their concerns and emphasised the need to further expedite access to humanitarian assistance in Tigray, commended the initial steps taken in the investigative process of human rights violations, and have noted the importance of the commencement of the joint investigations by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The discussions with the EU institutions has helped to communicate the all rounded efforts underway through the transition process, including the upcoming national elections, the situation in Tigray, and the ongoing GERD negotiations.