The spokesperson of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Dina Mufti, gave the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing today (30 December 2021) to the media. In his presentation, the Ambassador focused on political diplomacy, on the HPR approval of the Proclamation for the establishment of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission, recent announcement by the Ministry of Justice and media coverage on conflict in the northern part of Ethiopia, and citizen-centered diplomacy.
MFA spokesperson Dina Mufti said the US government should discuss the issue with us, not with other countries. In a statement issued today, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dina Mufti said the United States has chosen to hold regular talks with others rather than with Ethiopia. “If the United States wants to discuss Ethiopia, we are always ready. USA should discuss our case with us, ”said Ambassador Dina.
I. Political Diplomacy
H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has attended and delivered remarks at the welcoming ceremony of the Great Homecoming Challenge held at “Wodajinet Park” in Addis Ababa. He thanked Ethiopians, people of Ethiopian descent, and friends of Ethiopia who have come home accepting the Great Home Coming Challenge. He also appreciated Ethiopians in the Diaspora for the contributions that impacted the life of Ethiopians in economic, social, and political arenas. After highlighting the human and material cost that Ethiopia has incurred because of the terrorist TPLF’s destructive acts, he said the country would stand tall by overcoming its challenges. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister finally called on the Home Comers to continue supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of the government.
Monitoring and evaluation of the past 100 days of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was held in the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Planning and Development and representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office. Present at the session, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia spoke at the session about the results achieved for the past 100days. He said,
• The institutional transformation and structural reforms carried out by the Ministry have been successfully completed despite the challenges.
• due to the Ministry’s hard work and the efforts of Ethiopia’s friends, it was able to withstand the UN Security Council pressure on Ethiopia
• The Pan-Africanism movement, which started in support of Ethiopia in particular, is very promising and intensifying.
The Minister of Planning and Development, Dr. Fitsum Asefa, who was present at the forum, on her part said the reforms and structural reforms carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are yielding better results. Among other things, the Minister said that the focus should be on leading the large-scale diaspora movement in a more organized and income-oriented manner, expanding the Pan-African movement and expanding its horizons, and making online services more accessible.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia and Bahir Dar University had held a forum to deliberate the impact of misinformation on diplomacy and ways to mitigate it. The forum drew researchers and experts who tabled the role of the higher education community in Ethiopia to fight misinformation in tandem with the encouraging activities of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origins in the diaspora.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), H.E. Nicholas Haysom has expressed recognition of the hard work and dedication of the Ethiopian Battalion in Tambura, with regard to providing security to people of the Western Equatoria State of South Sudan. According to the letter sent to Colonel Kefyalew Regassa, Commanding officer of the Battalion; the Battalion has risen to the challenge of maintaining continuous UNMISS presence, engaging with all stakeholders, facilitating dialogues, and providing security to IDPs in the face of difficult conditions.
The Ethiopian Embassy in South Sudan hosted a Christmas reception to journalists from Local and international Media houses based in Juba. On the occasion, H.E. Ambassador Nebil Mahdi remarked how genuine journalism is becoming a rarity these days. He said the kind of reporting and framing of events, for instance, the conflict in Ethiopia is an important illustrator of the case in point.
Ethiopia’s Ambassador in Algeria, H.E, Nebiat Getachew had a meeting with H.E. Youssef Delileche, Director General of African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Algeria. The two sides discussed bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues of common concern. Ambassador Nebiyat also commended the government of Algeria for hosting the 8th High-Level Seminar on Peace and Security in Africa held recently in Oran in Oran, Algeria.
H.E. Ambassador Jamal Bekir, Head of the FDRE Consulate in Bahrain had a conversation with H.E. Dr. Khalid Al Ohaly, President of the Arabian Gulf University. The two sides discussed opportunities to strengthen cultural and fraternal relations between Ethiopia and the Middle East. Ambassador Jamal Beker also spoke about the situation in Ethiopia, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts. Dr. Khalid Al Ohaly, on his part, underscored the importance of creating linkages among higher education institutions in Ethiopia and the Middle East in research and capacity building.
II. On National Dialogue
The House of Peoples Representatives has approved the draft Proclamation for the establishment of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission.
A. Why the National Dialogue Commission?
•To discuss opinions and disagreements on the most fundamental national issues
•To legally institute a system that facilitates the national dialogue process;
•To establish an institution with widespread legitimacy that could coordinate and lead the deliberations capably and impartially;
B. The Commission and Commissioners
•The Commission shall be accountable to the House of Peoples Representatives.
•The Commission shall have eleven (11) commissioners;
•The Chief Commissioner of the Commission, the Deputy Chief Commissioner and other commissioners shall be appointed by the House of Peoples Representatives
C. Objectives, duties and responsibilities of the Commission
The Commission will, among others,
•Facilitate consultation between the various segments of the society
•identify the root causes of the difference on fundamental national issues
•Plan to implement the results of the consultations;
•Conduct deliberations to improve the relationship among the different segments of the population as well as between the public and the government
•create a conducive environment for the building of a democratic system;
D. Criteria for the Appointment of Commissioners
•Anyone who shall be appointed as a Commissioner shall fulfil some requirements; among which are having Ethiopian nationality; being not a member of any political party; and has not been convicted for committing any serious crime
III. On the Conflict in the Northern Part
FDRE Ministry of Justice has announced that it has started an investigation into the crimes committed by the TPLF terrorist group in the Amhara and Afar regions since the government’s declaration of the Unilateral Humanitarian Ceasefire last June. The Ministry has announced that a standardized checklist is prepared to carefully document extrajudicial killings, injuries, displacements, destructions on heritage sites, public and private properties and bring perpetrators to justice.
Encouraging reports have been observed over the week in exposing the truth about the conflict in Ethiopia and genuinely reflected upon Ethiopia’s interests.
• A special report by Reuters entitled, “in Ethiopia war. New abuse charges turn spotlight on Tigrayan former rulers,” has shown the atrocities and human rights abuses of the TPLF in the Amhara region.
• “Why Ethiopia must not fall apart,” an article by the Guardian and another article on ‘Foreign Policy’ by Professor Ann Fitz-Gerarld and Ms. Bronwy Bruton called on policy changes from the international community towards Ethiopia. The articles have called on the international community to see the atrocities that the TPLF has committed against innocent civilians and the democratically elected government of Ethiopia.
IV. CitizenCentered-Diplomacy
State Minister, H.E. Ambassador Birtukan Ayano, the leader of the operational sector of the committee established to facilitate the Great Homecoming Challenge, said the committee has finalized schedules to smoothly run various events. She thanked Ethiopians, people of Ethiopian origins, and friends of Ethiopia for positively responding to the challenge reaffirming their continued support and unwavering commitment to stand by Ethiopia in times of its needs. Participants in the Home Coming Challenge, among others, are scheduled to visit tourist destination sites in Ethiopia, including celebrating Gena (Ethiopian Christmas) at Lalibela and Timiket (Ethiopian Epiphany) in Gondar.
Dr. Tilahun Goshu (Mihret Medical Supply) and partners from the US have shipped four containers of fortified meals, medical equipment, medical supplies and one container full of life-saving medications to Ethiopia, worth $4.8 million to heal and restore health facilities in Ethiopia.
Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent in Rome, Torino, Milan, Parma, Perugia, Trent, Bari, and Athens have raised 120,783 Euros for people uprooted by TPLF’s destructive activities. The fundraising events in Italy and Greece have continued with unwavering support from Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian origins residing in the countries.
Via minilik saksawi