BY ADDISALEM MULAT
Ethiopian diplomats residing in various parts of the world have been undertaking diplomatic activities for the most part in relation to the law enforcement operation that has been taking place in the Tigray state, the second filling of the GERD and other pressing issues of the country.
As the international media have been busying reporting a range of disinformation and lopsided stories in relation with GERD and the humanitarian situation in Tigray state, ambassadors and diplomats have been familiarizing the international community with the true facts countering Egyptian propaganda and other digital groups.
When the Ethiopian National Defense Forces embarked on carrying out a law enforcement operation with the purpose of restoring legitimate administration, disarming the TPLF junta and things of that sort, some media outlets jumpstarted spreading disinformation and cooked up stories on quite a lot of occasions and perplexing the international community.
The media is portraying the humanitarian situation in Tigray as grim and overblowing the situation to highest magnitude but the fact is Ethiopian government is doing its level best to help the affected community delivering 70 percent of the needed humanitarian assistances.
For creating transparency, the incumbent has granted access to a number of international media agencies such as AFP, Al Jazeera, The New York Times, France 24, Reuters and BBC. It is also hand in glove with the international community in a bid to get to the bottom of the existing situation at the earliest time possible.
In the present climate, on the grounds of the incumbent’s determination and hard work, the whole lot in the region is moving in the right direction and thus the envisioned target has been achieved.
The other issue that has been under the list of the Ethiopian diplomats was the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It is known that since the laying of the cornerstone for the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Ethiopia has been at loggerheads with Sudan and Egypt. Even though Ethiopia endeavors to resolve problems related to the GERD, the intended target has not been achieved yet.
Egypt is in a holy mission to defame the very objective and facts of the colossal dam by injecting falsehood information about the project. To counter this and following Ethiopia’s stance to fill the second phase of the GERD, Egypt has been endeavoring to perplex the international community with a number of disinformation.
As the two nations do not want the GERD sees the day of light, they come up with a wide array of lame reasons with a view to distracting the construction of the dam. Although Egypt is the only country that has been utilizing the Nile water resources on its own, and 60% of its territory is bounded with the Red Sea, Suez Canal waters and Mediterranean, the government officials of the country does not want to other nations to use the Nile River for development purposes.
As learnt from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Minister Birtukan Ayano discussed with Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent in New York. She said the support of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent are crucial to the success of the upcoming elections, the second filling of the GERD, and the government’s efforts to ensure peace and stability.
The organized citizen-centered diplomacy of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent abroad to correct misinformation and defamation campaigns against the nation and the government is timely which should further be strengthened,” she added.
The State Minister made the remarks during a discussion that her delegation had held with Ethiopians living in New York and its environs.
On the occasion, associations such as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Task Force, Hope for Ethiopia in New York, and ‘Wegen Lewegen’ have detailed their fundraising and public diplomacy activities.
The Director-General of the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency, Selamwit Dawit, on her part, thanked the associations for their efforts in supporting Ethiopia’s cause in fundraising, public diplomacy, and advocacy.
Participants also discussed current national issues, the situation of Ethiopians in the Middle East, and ways to easily and regularly get access to crucial information on national matters.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mulu Solomon Bezuneh, Special Envoy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the Federal Republic of Germany held a virtual meeting with Honorable Katrin Langensiepen, German Green party delegation to the European Union Parliament.
Discussions focused on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the border issue with Sudan, the situation in Tigray, and the upcoming general election.
Ambassador Mulu said the rule of law restoration measure taken by the government helped not only to save the country but also the horn from becoming a breeding ground for terrorists.
She said 4.5 million people have been supported with humanitarian aid and that 70% has been covered by the government and 30% by international aid agencies and NGOs.
The Ambassador assured Honorable Langensiepen that all allegations on human rights abuses are taken seriously and will be independently investigated and perpetrators will be brought to justice.
Regarding the GERD, she said Ethiopia believes in an equitable, fair, and reasonable utilization of the Nile water as per internationally accepted principles without causing significant harm to the downstream countries.
To that end, Ethiopia believes in a win, win solution and that the AU-led platform helps for practical options to reach an amicable outcome, she added.
As to the common border situation of Sudan and Ethiopia, she said Ethiopia is ready to solve it peacefully provided that Sudan leaves Ethiopian territory and goes back to its position where it was before November 6, 2020.
By the same token, Ambassador Deriba Kuma has held a virtual meeting with Honorable Bertel Haarder, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee of Danish Parliament (Folketinget) on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.
Ambassador Deriba particularly focused on the improving situations in Tigray region, Ethiopia’s desire and efforts to amicably solve the border dispute with Sudan and the status on the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
He said normalcy is getting back to Tigray and the provision of humanitarian assistance has been enhanced with around 4.5 million beneficiaries reached so far.
Ambassador Deriba also underscored the need for the international community to encourage Egypt and Sudan not to obstruct the AU led GERD negotiations for the AU is the ideal platform to handle such African issues.
Honorable Bertel Haarder, on his part, stressed the importance of maintaining peace and security and Denmark towards that end is contributing to the Africa Peace Program.
Honorable Bertel also pointed out that Danish development cooperation with Ethiopia should be strengthened with a primary focus on SDGs, sustainable agriculture, social development and women and girls.
Ambassador Deriba and Honorable Haarder agreed to work further to strengthen the cooperation between the two sisterly countries.
In a similar vein, Ethiopia’s ambassador in South Sudan held talks with first Vice President Dr. Riek Machar. Ambassador of Ethiopia in South Sudan, Nabil Mahdi discussed bilateral and regional issues on Thursday (April 15) with South Sudan’s First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar.
Although the diplomatic relationship between the two countries is based on solid foundations, he said, it should be strengthened by linking the two countries by road and energy infrastructure.
The Ambassador also briefed the First Vice President on the ongoing negotiations on the Renaissance Dam, the Ethiopia-Sudan border issue, and the current situation in Tigray.
Dr. Riek Machar, on his part, said it is important to link Ethiopia’s renewable energy and South Sudan’s vast oil resources to register better economic performance.
He also expressed hope that the situation in Tigray would soon be fully resolved and that there would be lasting stability in Ethiopia.
The First Vice President said there is a technical solution to the dispute over the Renaissance Dam and alternative solutions should be sought instead of politicizing the issue.
The Ethiopian Herald 21 April 2021
