
BY LAKACHEW ATINAFU
Ethiopian foreign policy
Ethiopia has gone long distance in establishing robust diplomatic tie with ancient civilization like Persia, India, Greece, Egypt and other ancient states and empires.
Taking lesson from such age long diplomacy, the country has formulated inward looking foreign policy and strived to strengthen such diplomatic tie to the next step of the ladder and reach the score board in the international diplomatic sphere.
While the foreign policy has, for decades, been directed towards attracting FDI as a key priority, the coming into power of Prime Minister Abiy has enabled a new chapter where the legal and institutional framework, as well as administrative procedures pertaining to investment in general and FDI in particular, have been significantly reformed towards a more liberal, easier and favorable system.
The foreign policy objectives of the Ethiopian Government rests on four main pillars including ascertaining sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country, promoting national interest, economic diplomacy and citizen centered diplomacy.
The dimension of the Ethiopia’s foreign policy is anchored on three pillars: economic diplomacy, engaging members of the Diaspora and promoting a stable geopolitical landscape in the region. With the Government’s introduction of the Home-Grown Economic reform, the primary focus of the Foreign Policy has been promoting and implementing this program.
While implementing this program requires more aggressive diplomacy, the program has eased the diplomatic work by introducing inherently attractive and liberal initiatives. Elevating Ethiopia’s regional and global influence requires a wide range of measures at home and abroad. First, to be a regional hegemon, Ethiopia must be at peace with itself as a house divided against itself cannot stand.
The country is yet yearn to rejuvenate relation with the EU, Asian countries, the USA, Cuba, Russia and other strategic partners based on the principles of foreign policy and international cooperation. Thus, working towards averting the politics of identity and resentment should be the primary focus of the home and the region as it is stirring off socio political demographic and psychological makeup of Africans as there had been deep seated quires and sackful conspiracy as a trap to howl down the flag of betterment in the continent.
Unlike the principle of international fraternity and maintaining values of humanity, people with rapacious interest have sown vengeance among fraternity. For this reason, Ethiopia and other African brothers have traveled long distance unable to take advantage of the blessing they are endowed with.
To avoid such a weed of humanity and coexistence, the need to find platforms should be considered of dignified significance as plots are escalating under domestic and global pressures. Thus, time seems to demand courage to go through humble, forgiveness that lay foundation for the posterity in authentic manner.
Again indeed, there is a big difference between content and essentiality in the process of state formation and nation building. Be it is as it may, it is essential to sustain the country first despite worrisome and age long denigration and vengeance politics which has been rolling in Ethiopia under the guise of ethno-lingual politics and pretext of religion.
The national dialogue and mutual consensus which is being initiated would alleviate problems of chronology and a spring board for domestic and regional integration of the Horn and geo-political dynamics.
The amassed citizen on the other hand should thoroughly investigate and find something better from the worst and be on the alert to understand that one of preferred strategy to dismantle countries is to denigrate history and finding Achilles hills of groups that consider themselves as subjects. Fabricating stories of human past and magnifying mistakes have been serving groups with ill intent.
To the opposite, there are histories that were obscured to deny some countries as they have no contribution in making the world. Ever since the battle of Adwa, there is nothing that has been done to avert the course of history and elongate the thought of escaping from inferiority complex among the victim of colonization.
The African Psychological makeup was begun to restore right after the battle of Adwa that persuade the colonizer reshuffle a new strategy aiming at abolishing pioneer states such as Ethiopia that promote liberty in its fully fledged and greatness they intend to deny . It is true that the question of identity was one of the agenda and an age long quires of nations, nationalities and people of the land of diversity. Somehow it was addressed decades before right after the demise of Derg.
Then after it revealed to be a new weapon and along with denigration sowing hatred tracing the existing difference among brothers that identify themselves demarcating lines based on ethno lingual ground. Then after, scrambling land and geopolitics appeared to be lucrative effort for interested groups yearning fragmentation of the Horn.
Things to be considered in this regard are identifying sensitive issues that could provoke national and regional boundaries and reach lasting solution involving parties of the region and adhere to conventions and protocols along with respecting the original inhabitants.
The Ethio-Sudan Border
As the Ethio-Sudan corridor is a long incepted interest for circumstances, nowadays it appeared to be an area of interest to make differences between brothers and strategic landscape to build wall of vengeance among Ethiopia and Sudan.
Taking advantage of post-colonial agreement, time ticking bomb is orchestrated to let the two countries endless conflict. However, the pre or post-colonial agreement doesn’t determine Ethiopia. Sudan and Ethiopia as the two have traveled together lots of uphill struggle and intertwined each other based on culture religion and resource utilization.
By the same token, all the rest of the Horn and East Africa is of great significance for Africa and the world because of the fact that it is land of diversity, ample natural resource, strategically located around the gulf and the Red Sea geopolitics.
The other area of concern
Religion and ethnicity have never been issue of concern of conflict among Ethiopians for a long time. But these days apart from building bridge of unity, there are elements that are busy of weponizing diversity as a means to make things and values fall apart.
The issue of sustaining the age long unity among diversity should not be left for tomorrow and it is a matter of existence for Ethiopia, the Horn and Even to the wellbeing of the continent and the aspired integration. No doubt state formation in Ethiopia was not an easy process that lots have been knowingly or unknowingly endure agonies.
As we turn pages of recent documents, and other manuscripts, there had been cooperation among Ethiopians based on critical thinking regardless of difference in religion and ethnicity. It is time, thus, to learn from our fathers and forefathers the importance of patience, tolerance and coexistence and see the great picture and build the mighty future.
We should not let our country be the battleground of possible terrorism and chaos and all are expected to sustain the dignity we are known for. Some third parties may start providing arms to distractive elements operating here and there under the guise of humanitarian support.
Then others will follow suit to counter such advancement by arming the contender. Then the battle will end up being between outsiders like it has been in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. Then the rest of the story will be counting the fatalities, refugees, and the destruction day in, day out.
Bright hopes
No one can deny that Ethiopia manages to wow the world in building mega projects and aspire to be middle income economy exploiting its human and material resources.
To this happen, we all should continue to stand together. Whether one is at home or abroad, or pursue this or that ideology, our confluence point is clear—we share the national interest. We never compromise our national interest.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 8 APRIL 2023