Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen, and H.E. Nassir Bourita, Foreign Minister of Morocco had held a virtual discussion this week on ways to cement bilateral and multilateral ties between the two countries.
Demeke further gave a briefing on current issues in Ethiopia, in particular the overall situation on the GERD construction and negotiation, the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute, and the upcoming general elections.
Ethiopia and Morocco should expedite the implementation of the 12 agreements that were signed between them in various fields following the fruitful visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco in 2016, Mr. Demeke said.
He also mentioned the economic significance of expediting the production process of the jointly established fertilizer plant in Ethiopia and connecting Addis Ababa and Rabat with direct flights by Ethiopian Airlines.
The Deputy Prime Minister also expressed his confidence that Morocco would support Dr. Arkebe Oqubay, the sole African candidate for the position of Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
Being thankful for the briefing by Demeke Mekonen, The Moroccan Foreign Minister said Morocco supports Ethiopia’s right to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Regarding the GERD and the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute, Nasser Bourita expressed his confidence that peaceful resolutions would be reached at the end with amicable solutions to all parties.
The Moroccan Foreign Minister told Demeke that his country would support Dr. Arkebe Oqubay’s candidacy for the UNIDO and stressed the need to create economic linkages between the two countries by encouraging connections of private businesses and flights by the major Airlines of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed commitments to build green economies noting the need to further strengthen the partnership between Ethiopia and Morocco in the field of renewable energy.
Ambassador Nebil meets Chief of Defense Forces of the Republic of South Sudan
Ambassador Nebil Mahdi, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to South Sudan met with Gen. Santino Deng Wol, Chief of the Defense Forces of the Republic of South Sudan, and conferred on issues of common interest to the two countries.
The ambassador updated the CDF on the current affairs of Ethiopia which include the law enforcement operation and the subsequent humanitarian supports, and the Ethiopian government’s engagements towards regaining normalcy in the Tigray region, the GERD negotiation process, the Ethio-Sudan border dispute, and on the upcoming Elections in Ethiopia.
The ambassador also reiterated Ethiopia’s commitment, in collaboration with IGAD, to work on ways of supporting South Sudan in the implementation of the peace agreement.
Commending the historical and excellent relations and cooperation that exist between the two countries, Gen. Santino Deng Wol, on his part, asserted that Ethiopia’s contributions to his country are unforgettable.
He also affirmed that South Sudan will not by any means harbor any elements or cooperate with forces that work against Ethiopia’s interests.
The Chief of the Defense Forces also underscored the trust that the people of Abyei area have in the peacekeeping force under UNISFA as well as in other places in South Sudan.
Ethiopia, Sweden hold bilateral consultations
Ethiopia and Sweden have held their bi-annual bilateral virtual consultations focusing on the relationship between the two countries, development cooperation, and the current situation in Ethiopia and the region.
State Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, H.E. Ambassador Redwan Hussien, and Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, H.E. Robert Rydberg led the discussions.
The consultations widely covered issues on the humanitarian support in Tigray, the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and the upcoming general elections in Ethiopia.
Addressing the concerns of Sweden on the situation in Tigray, Ambassador Redwan reiterated that the government has considerably expanded access to humanitarian support and intensified efforts to deliver food and non-food items to those in need in the region.
The Ambassador also called upon the international community to scale up humanitarian support since the federal government has been covering the lion’s share of the delivery of aid exhausting its meager resources.
Acknowledging the efforts of the Ethiopian Attorney General and the joint investigation by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the UN OHCHR, the Swedes pointed out issues that have to be addressed to return the region to normalcy.
Regarding the upcoming general elections, Ambassador Redwan expressed his country’s commitment to making it free and fair while the Swedes expressed their confidence that it would be inclusive and transparent.
In their discussion on regional issues, the two sides noted that the border dispute between Ethiopia and Sudan and the negotiations over the GERD should get peaceful resolutions.
Ethiopia, Algeria Explore Opportunities to Work in Higher Education Collaboration
H.E. Ambassador Nebiat Getachew met with H.E. Professor Abdelbeski Benziane, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Algeria and discussed ways and means of further enhancing cooperation in the field of higher education and scientific research between Ethiopian and Algerian higher Institutions.
In their discussion, Ambassador Nebiat noted that cooperation among higher learning Institutions of Africa is an important aspect of exchange of development experience and vehicle to further cement pan Africanism among African countries.
He also underscored that exchange of best practices in training, education, research and technology transfer play a pivotal role in further strengthening the bilateral relations between Ethiopia and Algeria.
Professor Abdelbeski, on his part, expressed Algeria’s readiness to collaborate with Ethiopian higher learning Institutions to advance Inter-university linkages in various fields of studies and noted the Importance of exchange of scientific research for the benefit of the peoples of the two friendly countries.
The Ethiopian Embassy in Algiers agreed to facilitate contacts between the relevant Ministries of the two countries with a view to developing joint programs of cooperation.
Ambassador Teferi Melesse met with Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP
Earlier, Ambassador Teferi Melesse met with Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, Minister of State for Energy and the UK’s International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency.
The two discussed various issues of mutual interest where the Ambassador highlighted Ethiopia’s bold leadership in the fight against climate change such as the planting of billions of trees through the Green Legacy Initiative and the implementation of Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy which aims to build a carbon-neutral and resilient economy by 2030.
On her part the honorable minister noted the Climate Partnership Agreement signed between Ethiopia and the UK and applauded Ethiopia’s massive tree-planting initiative.
Recognizing Ethiopia’s leadership role in the region as far as climate change is concerned, the Minister recommended that Ethiopia formally joins the Global Adaptation Action Coalition, which was launched in January.
Both parties also agreed to work together to promote climate Action ahead of COP26 conference.
Ethiopian delegation led by State Minister Redwan Hussien pays a working visit to Qatar
H.E. State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussein held talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani on bilateral and regional issues.
Members of the Ethiopian delegation and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Qatar, H.E. Sultan bin Saad Al-Muuriki have also attended the meeting. The delegation also met later with representatives of various Ethiopian Diaspora associations in Qatar to talk about the current situation in Ethiopia.
Discussions covered, in particular, the status of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, relations between Ethiopia and Qatar, including regional issues.
Ambassador Redwan said it is high time for Ethiopians to support the government and their country to cope with challenges at home and resist external pressures to build a better future.
Present at the meeting, Engineer Gedion Asfaw, a member of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam Negotiating team, also addressed the questions and comments raised regarding the dam.
COMPILED BY HIZKEL HAILU
The Ethiopian Herald 30 May 2021
