As remarked by Taye Atsekelassie, Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the United Nations, the pressure to weaken Ethiopia and undermine its unity from any internal or external body must be resisted.
He made the remarks during an online discussion with Ethiopians living in New York, Connecticut, and underlined the implications of Western intervention in Ethiopia, in particular the recent US Senate resolution, and the issues raised by the UN Security Council.
He said there is a need to prevent misconceptions and activities around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It is important to reach out to influential individuals, members of parliament and the media in Ethiopia and to clarify the truth about Ethiopia, he added.
An online discussion on the current situation in Ethiopia was held with the participation of Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent living in New York, Connecticut and other states under the coordination of the Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
In his message, Ambassador Taye called on the international community to work together in order to counter the efforts in the western world to weaken Ethiopia and undermine its unity. He further elaborated on the nature of the Western intervention in our country.
He also conveyed a message on the second round of the filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the upcoming 6th general election. Participants of the discussion, on the other hand, said they are working to prevent any harassment from inside or outside the country which undermine its unity.
Meanwhile, Ethiopians living in other states of the United States discuss the current situation in our country and issue a seven-point statement.
Ethiopians living in various states of the United States of America, organized by the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington DC, discussed the current situation in our country on May 22, 2021 and issued a seven-point position statement.
In his message, Ambassador of Ethiopian to the United States, Fitsum Arega called on the Diaspora in the United States to work together to overcome the negative impact of various countries and institutions, including the United States.
Participants of the discussion also stated that they will work to protect Ethiopia from any internal or external pressure to weaken and undermine its unity, and issued the following statement.
We Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent in various states of the United States have had extensive discussions on the current pressures of destructive forces at home and abroad and, consequently, the misguided position of the United States government in our country, and have issued the following statement.
As Ethiopia is a sovereign state with a long history of black people in the world and will never accept foreign intervention, it urges the United States to immediately end its unjust pressure and refrain from interfering in the country’s internal affairs while respecting Ethiopia’s sovereignty, they conveyed their message.
The dictatorial TPLF, which has been in power in Ethiopia for the past 27 years, has been working hard to thwart the multi-sectoral reforms launched in our country three years ago and committed the November 3/2020 massacre of our Northern Command. At the same time, TPLF spies and emissaries abroad are collaborating with our country’s enemies and spreading false propaganda in the media that tarnishes our country’s image. Recognizing this, Ethiopians and Ethiopian descent in the United States are committed to exposing this false propaganda campaign by providing accurate information about the current situation in our country to the relevant authorities and the media.
“We strongly oppose the indirect pressure of the forces working to weaken our country to prevent the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which is our country’s hope, and the second round of water supply on time. To this end, we will stand together to the end.”
Ethiopian Diaspora community in various states in the United States, through contacting state and federal government officials, members of Congress and Senators as well as text messages have to work to understand the realities of our country and prevent it from being misled by false propaganda. And we reaffirm that we will work hard to make Ethiopia-US bilateral relations better than ever.
Foreign exchange earnings play an important role in ensuring economic growth by lifting our country out of poverty, and we, Ethiopians living abroad, have a significant role to play in supporting Ethiopia’s development by legalizing remittances to our homeland and engaging in trade and investment.
At this crucial time when our country is nearing to have the end of its general elections, we will reaffirm our commitment to work together more than ever to fight the destructive forces of foreign and domestic forces that are deliberately trying to destabilize our country and destroy Ethiopia.
The enemy enters through an open door and window. We have been working hard to close in the grip of vicious problems. However, we are being attacked. There should be no middle ground to prevent this devastating attack. The alternative is to be either with them or with us. In this regard, we believe that when an external enemy comes, unity is not an option but an obligation.
The victory, our forefathers won in the Battle of Adwa was not a war without a leader and a government. So, the government is like a pillar; People are like a fence, Organizations: We, the activists and the entire Diaspora community, stand up to stand together for our country, Ethiopia.
BY HAFTU GEBREZGABIHER
The Ethiopian Herald May 25/2021
