Neighboring countries: priority in Ethiopia’s foreign relations

A renowned scholar once said countries may choose nations they wish to make good foreign relations but they cannot choose their neighbors. Over the last couple of decades, Ethiopia has focused on relations with countries it shares borders.

The importance of neighboring countries in Ethiopia’s foreign policy emanates, as I discern, from the following five factors.

First is geographical proximity. What is going on in a neighboring country can positively or negatively impact on Ethiopia. This can be explained in terms of threats and opportunities for disrupting or promoting the foreign policy objectives of the country.

Second, bilateral and multi-lateral cross cultural and economic relations could explain the leverage upon which Ethiopia’s relations could either falter or progress through time. In the border areas between Ethiopia and its neighbors, there are cultural, economic and social relations that were governed by rules of mutual convenience and not necessarily by diplomatic agreements.

The similarity of cultural relations between the border areas provides an excellent communication between Ethiopia and each neighboring country. This is explained in the use of common languages, musical melodies and traditional cuisines.

The third factor is interrelated with regional and local political relations. This involves the difference and similarity of ideological and political factors which govern the relationship between Ethiopia and countries in the neighborhood. External developments in the Greater Horn of Africa can seriously determine Ethiopia’s relations with the countries.

For instance the presence of foreign garrisons and military camps in Djibouti may potentially affect the political melodrama between Ethiopia and Djibouti and probably the rest of Ethiopia’s neighboring countries while Al-Shebab’s terroristic actions in Somalia has continued to affect Ethiopia’s foreign relations priorities with the country. Furthermore, Ethiopia’s relation with state actors in the region, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan, against the backdrop of great power rivalry can directly or indirectly affect Ethiopia’s policy of good neighborliness with the above mentioned countries.

The fourth and the most important factor is historical relation. The history of its neighbors is closely knitted into Ethiopian history while the history of each neighboring country is also closely linked with Ethiopia for centuries.

The fifth factor is ethno-linguistic element. Most of Ethiopia’s neighbors use Arabic as their official language and this had greater influence on some sematic languages like Amharic. Over several years back pigeon Arabic was used as a language among the youth frequenting local teas shops. Arabic is spoken in Benishanguel Gumuz region, Dire Dawa and Ethiopia Somali.

Now, how is this explained on the ground? Ethiopia has continued to expand land and air transport and energy link with some of the neighboring countries. Ethiopia is also actively engaged in the Lamu corridor project.

Ethiopia’s sovereignty and security has always been linked and conditioned with the state of affairs with countries at next doors. The civil war in South Sudan and conditions in Eretria has resulted in the influx of thousands of refugees into Ethiopia forcing the country to host those desperate populations within the international standards of care. It is to be recalled that Ethiopia has played a major role in resolving the recent crisis in the Republic of Sudan as part of the country’s foreign policy and diplomacy with the neighboring countries

Ethiopia’s peace keeping mission under AMISOM and the UN is naturally based in the neighboring countries. However, Ethiopia has recently foiled a barrage of arms smuggling schemes that were siphoned through countries in the neighborhood.

 Ethiopia’s public diplomacy initiatives with the neighboring countries has played and will certainly continue to play a positive role in fostering people to people relations among the peoples in the neighborhood.

Ethiopia is also conducting a number of projects targeting pastoral communities in the border areas in cooperation with a number of neighboring countries to improve the livelihood of pastoral societies in and across the border areas and a case in point is a cross border development program for pastoral communities.

Furthermore, Ethiopia has continued to play active role in the implementation of planned development activities with Eretria and Somalia.

Over the last couple of years, ascertaining the human dignity of Ethiopian citizens in the Diaspora has become a key diplomatic objective of the government. In this context, a special consideration was given to Ethiopians who were detained in the neighboring countries either due to some legal offenses or for entering these countries illegally. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has played a special role in repatriating Ethiopian citizens back to their country.

The Ethiopian Herald February 22/2020

BY SOLOMON DIBABA