ADDIS ABABA– Ethiopians and foreigners of Ethiopian origin living in various states of the United States have expressed commitment to fend off the unjustified pressure some interest groups have waged against the country of their origin.
Close to five hundred Ethiopian Diaspora in the U.S. partook over the weekend in a webinar meeting held under the theme ‘Ethiopia in the new path.” In his opening remark at the webinar, Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S. Fitsum Arega said that an integrated engagement of Ethiopians living in home and abroad is important to enable the country to overcome the existing and emerging challenges.
Water, Irrigation and Energy Minister Sileshi Bekele (PhD) some interest groups’ intensified pressure has been largely attributed to the progress of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) which is totally funded by the people and government of Ethiopia. Accordingly, the successful completion of the dam would ease the mounting international pressure.
Noting the overall progress of the GERD has reached 80 percent, the minister has called on the public to support the building of the dam financially, professionally and in other ways. By the same token, National Electoral Board of Ethiopia Communication Advisor Soliana Shimeles said on her part that the Board has made sufficient preparation to make the upcoming election free, fair and credible. Apart from the government’s huge budget for the successful conduct of the elections, the Board has secured significant finance from donor countries and groups and it has dispatched election materials to polling stations and given a mandate to local observers to oversee the election.
For the first time in Ethiopia’s election history, 200 individual candidates would run for parliamentary and state councils’ seats, it was stated in the webinar. Association leaders and other stakeholders participated in the meeting and expressed commitment to fight back the destructive activities of anti-peace groups that have been working to disrupt the age-long peace of the country. The participants also highlighted that all actors need to work in tandem to successfully counter the current international pressure and keep the unity of Ethiopia.
BY BILAL DERSO
The Ethiopian Herald June 1/2021
