Recently, Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Gedu Andargachew with US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo was recently exchanges ideas and shake their hands each other for the bilateral relation of the two countries.
Obviously, United States has long standing relation in diplomacy. United States remains one of the strongest allies of Ethiopia. Both countries enjoy a strong political, economic, and security cooperation. In recent meeting, both countries agreed to strengthen further their relationship.
Michael Pompeo visitation has focused on strengthen the ongoing political and economic bilateral relations of the two countries. This gives for Ethiopia an opportunity to discuss regional, continental, and global issues which is mutual concern. In this regard, journalists attended in the meeting to ask the two countries’ foreign ministers regarding the relationship of the two countries and other related aspects. Excerpts:
QUESTION: what are you proudest of and what is the area where you think that there is the biggest challenge for your citizens?
Gedu Andargachew: the most important agendas are political, economic, and security issues. Ethiopia is one of the largest population country in Africa. Our reform agenda is main focus forward to transform Ethiopia to democracy. Then we have no experience for democracy.
So the challenge now we’re facing is the exercise of democracy, because this government opened political space. Now in Ethiopia, all concerned voters, all political actors, the media people should exercises freedom.
In this situation, there is a fraction that challenges our rule of law. That is one area of challenge. Another important reform agenda is on economy. Ethiopian economy is growing faster in the last 15 years, continuously, nearly double-digit growth.
However, there is a problem to the economy. Number one, unemployment is huge in Ethiopia. About 60 to 70 percent of Ethiopian population is youth. In this regard, Ethiopia has about 100,000 graduates from universities and high schools. This is one of the challenges for our reform agenda.
The other important challenges relate to security that is come from the democratization process as well as the unemployment problem. Because most of our youths have no job.So, there is demand for job. In this case, the supply side is limited.
And also there is a situation to maintain peace and order in this country while struggling for change and reform. Now, it is improved from time to time. There is promising improvement, but still it is the main challenge.
Question: How do you see the recent reform program here in the country? Does US has an influence in the reform program?
Mike Pompeo: I think the most impressive thing about these reforms is that they’re owned by the Ethiopian people. These aren’t reforms that were imposed from someone from the outside. These were reforms that came from Ethiopians demanding that their government fix these things, and they’re working diligently on them.
These are remarkable changes. These will be transformative for Ethiopia. They do, in fact, take time and results are never immediate when these kinds of big changes take place. But the great thing is they’re being powered by the Ethiopian people.
I met with the female head of state in the capital of Africa today, this incredibly diverse place. They understand the power that women will bring to the success of these reforms.
I met with religious leaders. This is a diverse nation that’s putting in place reforms that will redound to the benefit of the Ethiopian people for an awfully long time.
Our role in this isn’t to impose it, but rather, to do everything we can to support it, to enable it, to provide technical assistance where we can, and to provide moral encouragement, because we know that these reforms are important, and if they are successful, will fundamentally transform the lives of Ethiopians for decades and decades to come.
Question: Is the U.S. going to push for a change in guidelines for quarantines for cruise ships in handling coronavirus?
Mike Pompeo: You then asked a question, a couple parts, about coronavirus. Look, we’re always trying to make sure we get decisions right. With respect to these cruise ships, there are complicated decision-making processes.
So I don’t know that we’re going to look to change our guidelines necessarily, but we will evaluate these closely. I’ve been tracking this and monitoring it even during my travels to make sure that we try to get it right every time, to not only protect the American people but to do all that we can as a country to help everyone in the world.
I was with our CDC folks in our embassy today. The work that we’re doing right here in Africa is important. I heard just as I came in that there are now more reported cases here in Africa.
We need to make sure that we’ve got that right and we’re doing everything we can to make sure that every place there’s risk, in countries where there isn’t a deep, strong healthcare or public health infrastructure. In this aspect, the United States is providing important assistance.
We’ve got plans to put in place at least 100 million USD worth of support to countries all around the world, including to China. We’re proud of in this regard. We hope that the world will unite against what is this really challenging public health problem that faces us. We hope that every country that has information in related to coronavirus including China will be completely open and transparent. It took us too long to get the medical experts into country. We wish that could have happened more quickly.
Question: are you satisfied with the way that the Chinese Government is giving information to its own citizens?
Mike Pompeo: we are hopeful that the Chinese Government will increase its transparency, will continue to share this information. This is now a problem that is of global scale, and it’s important that every nation state act in a way that is consistent with reducing risk to citizens all across the world.
Question: can you confirm that a group of Democratic senators met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference? And if so, are you concerned about the meeting?
Mike Pompeo: I had seen that piece about some senators meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif. This person’s designated by the United States of America. He’s the foreign minister for a country that shot down a commercial airliner and has yet to turn over the black boxes.
This is the foreign minister of a country that killed an American on December 27th, and is the foreign minister for a country that is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror and the world’s largest sponsor of anti-Semitism. If they met, I don’t know what they said. I hope they were reinforcing America’s foreign policy, not their own.
Question: It’s known that Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan has been negotiating on Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with support of American Government and the World Bank. Do you think America has made a fair decision on the inclination of stands Egypt through putting pressure on Sudan and Ethiopia to accept the negotiation?
Mike Pompeo: So let me take the question about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. President Trump made a priority to try and work with each of the three significantly impacted countries to try and get a good outcome for all three countries, to effectively mediate.
And so we have been working on this regard. It has been led by Secretary Mnuchin and David Malpass at the World Bank. Foreign ministers met in Washington a couple times and agreed to work on the problem set. Many of the elements of an agreement are now moving closer to finality. But there is still work that remains to done.
Our objective is that Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudanese leadership has come to an accommodation that works for each of the three countries and to the peoples of each of those three nations with fairly manner.
I think there is a solution to that will work. But our mission set is not to impose a solution for those countries. But rather to get the three countries to come together around a solution that each of them acknowledges works for the concerns of all three nations.
We have been heartened in the context of those conversations to watch each of those countries recognize the needs and concerns of the other two countries. It has been a very professional discussion. A great deal of work remains to be done. But I am optimistic that over the coming months, we can resolve this.
Question: would you say something on the cooperation of the respective three countries in peace and security affairs?
Pompeo: So as for peace and security around the Horn of Africa, the United States has played a significant role for quite a few years.
When I was the CIA director, I traveled in the region on more than one occasion to make sure that we were sharing information in a way that was delivering security for all of the countries in the region of Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti. Everyone who had risk associated with that. Therefore, we are going to continue in that specific mission.
You may be referring to the review that we are doing in terms of how our forces will be positioned. That review is underway. We are going to continue to take a look at it. We will make sure that we get it right.
If we have got forces in the wrong place, we are going to fix it.We will do it in conjunction with our friends and partners in the region. I am confident that we can get the right force posture and the right risk for the United States.
And we are still working to deliver on peace and security in a way that is important for the region, not only in the Horn of Africa but all across the Sahel and the rest of Africa.
Gedu Andargachew: Regarding the issue of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, I would like to express Ethiopia’s appreciation to United States and the World Bank for positive role playing in the negotiations.
This implies that as we have negotiated in this specific key point, we have been negotiating with Egypt and Sudan. So far, we have made progress on many issues.But there are still remain outstanding issues that demanding negotiation. And Ethiopia hopes to reach agreement. That is the goal in the negotiation.
That negotiation based upon the principles and the national interest of Ethiopia. And we have only the choice is to reach agreement based on win-win solution. So, in this case, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are friendly country.
We have the same outcome. The solution to reach agreement is everyone should understand the interests of other so that the agreement will be win-win. So we are continuing the negotiation in this spirit. Hopefully, we will reach into agreement.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 8 March 2020
BY
MEHARI BEYENE
