Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen met UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Rauf Mazou and EU Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber this week at his office.
In his discussion with UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister briefed Mr. Rauf Mazou on the current status of refugees in Ethiopia, including the dramatic increments of internally displaced people due to the war waged by the TPLF.
Demeke recalled the atrocities that Eritrean refugees in Tigray had faced in the hands of the TPLF and the status of the newly built refugee camps for Eritrean refugees in the Amhara region.
He also expressed concerns over the activities of some of the Ethiopian refugees in Sudanese camps who exploited their refugee status to escape responsibility for the crimes that they committed in Ethiopia and to resume their assaults on the country.
The High Commissioner on his part noted that, Demeke’s concern and pledged to address the issues and share responsibilities in supporting refugees in Ethiopia is remarkable.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
In another development Demeke Mekonnen confers with EU Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber On his stay with Dr. Annette Weber, European Union (EU) Special Representative for the Horn of Africa the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen briefed the situation in the northern part of Ethiopia and ways of giving renewed impetus to the relationships between Ethiopia and the EU.
Speaking about the situation in northern Ethiopia, Demeke stressed the commitment of his government to translate the roadmap to hold an all-inclusive dialogue into reality through discussions with stakeholders in the country.
He also briefed her on the government’s commitment to facilitating the humanitarian aid supply to all affected areas in the region.
Upon the misinformation campaign, he said, some corners of the international community are accusing the federal government on obstructing the aid supply to Tigray.
Demeke further explained the destructive acts of the TPLF in the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions and in blocking aid from reaching people in occupied territories.
The special envoy, on her part, appreciated the government’s initiative to ease up the challenges that the country is facing right now. She further expressed the Keen interest of the European Union to scale up relationships with Ethiopia.
Appreciating the visit of the special envoy and the EU’s concerns over matters in Ethiopia, Demeke stressed Ethiopia’s firm convictions to resist biased and unwarranted attacks that threaten its sovereignty.
Ambassador Berhanu Tsegaye partakes on the first IGAD Ministerial Conference on labor, employment, labor migration in Djibouti
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) organized a Ministerial Conference in the presence of Ministers, Ambassadors of IGAD member states, and representatives of International Organizations this week.
The Ethiopian Ambassador to Djibouti, Berhanu Tsegaye, has participated in the conference representing Ethiopia.
Ambassador Berhanu underscored the need to have a regionally harmonized policy and guideline to enhance the working conditions of overseas migrant workers from each member state.
The conference aimed to create a viable platform to deliberate on effective actions and regional coordination mechanisms to enhance the governance of labor, employment, and labor migration.
Prime Minister of the Republic of Djibouti, Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, made opening remarks at the conference in attendance of Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of IGAD, and H.E. Alexio Musindo, the ILO Country Office Director for Ethiopia.
The conference ended by establishing the IGAD Ministerial Committee on Labor, Employment, and Migration and developing an action plan to implement the Djibouti Declaration 2021.
Ambassador Redwan bids farewell to outgoing Cuban Ambassador to Ethiopia
State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussein bade farewell this week to the outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba, Her. E. Vilma Thomas Ramírez.
Ambassador Redwan appreciated the longstanding and fraternal relationship between the peoples and the governments of the two countries.
He further noted the importance of cementing ties between the two countries with active economic, social, and political engagements.
Ambassador Vilma Thomas, on her part, appreciated the support that the government and people of Ethiopia extended to her during her stay in Ethiopia.
She also commended the relentless effort of Ethiopia to the lifting of US sanctions against Cuba.
The people and Government of Ethiopia remember with gratitude the contribution of the people and government of Cuba during the fight against Siad Barre’s invasion of Ethiopian territories.
Ambassador Teferi Melesse highlights Ethiopia’s, Africa’s trade, investment potential
Teferi Melesse, Ethiopian Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland made a speech on the African Business Chamber’s inaugural “Midlands-Africa International Trade Summit”.
On his speech the Ambassador has highlighted Ethiopia’s and Africa’s trade, investment and partnership potential, and how the UK can play a huge and active role in it.
“Since 2018, Ethiopia has embarked on a series of ambitious political, economic and social reforms aimed at tackling, head-on, some of the challenges we faced. On the economic front, our priorities are to strengthen the role of the private sector in the economy, attracting FDI, achieve sustained economic growth through export-led industrialization and make Ethiopia an African beacon of prosperity”.
According to him the aforementioned home-grown reforms have already made a significant impact on the business and investment environment in Ethiopia. He further stated that the government of Ethiopia has revised its investment laws to ensure that the domestic market is business-friendly and opened up key sectors that were previously closed to foreign investment.
Ethiopia is now in a new age of openness and we want UK businesses to be among the first to take advantage of these changes, the Ambassador noted.
Ethiopians in Colorado donates 190,000 USD to the displaced society
Ethiopians in Colorado (Denver, Aurora and the surrounding) donated 190,000 USD to support displaced families and communities ravaged by TPLF’s war of terror and ruthless aggression.
“This is 2nd in diaspora contributions after Bay Area. And I thank the organizing committee, Artist Tesfaye Sima and donors, Said Ambassador Fitsum Arega.
The Ethiopian Herald October 24/2021
