As Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, I extend my warm congratulations to The Ethiopian Herald and all the staff for its 80th Anniversary.
The Ethiopian Herald, as one of the oldest news newspaper in Ethiopia, has always kept pace with the times and walked with the people, faithfully recording the glorious history of Ethiopia’s reform and development since its establishment on 3 July 1943. As one of the most important daily newspaper published in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Herald has won largest subscriber-ship in the country after 80 years of operation. The Ethiopian Herald has not only opened a door for foreigners in Ethiopia to understand this great country, but also serves as an important window for the Ethiopian people to understand the world.
Since China and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations in 1970, The Ethiopian Herald has been a witness to, a supporter and an envoy of China and Ethiopia friendship. Through the Ethiopian Herald, stories about China are reported in Ethiopia and more importantly, China’s ideas are understood by more and more Ethiopian friends. To this end, I sincerely thank all the staff of the Ethiopian Herald for their contribution to the development of China-Ethiopia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and friendship between our two brotherly peoples.
This year, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the Global Civilization Initiative, advocating respect for the diversity of civilizations, promoting the common values of humanity, attaching importance to inheritance and innovation of civilizations, strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, and providing basic guidelines and paths for different civilizations to coexist, exchange and learn from each other, which is the natural result of Chinese civilization and will surely flourish the garden of world civilizations.
Both Ethiopia and China are ancient civilizations. On the occasion of the Ethiopian Herald’s 80th Anniversary, I would like to take this chance to invite Ethiopia Press Agency to achieve the aims of the Global Civilization Initiative together with China. After eighty years of journey, The Ethiopian Herald is now standing at a new starting point. I believe The Ethiopian Herald will definitely write a bright new chapter in the new era!
BY E. ZHAO ZHIYUAN, (Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia)
It is an honor for me to write these words to mark the 80th anniversary of the Ethiopian Herald. This is a great opportunity to celebrate their commitment to an in-depth journalism that brings its audience closer to reality, unveiling through precise reporting and thorough analysis the true facts behind current events in Ethiopia, Africa, and the world.
Media has a huge impact in the shaping of modern societies, from the more obvious fields of politics and economics to other realms such as diplomacy and business. Particularly in Africa, a continent where so much is taking place nowadays, having access to updated and accurate information is crucial – and the work of African media, essential.
The Ethiopian Herald is a great example of this: ever since the Argentine Embassy in Ethiopia reopened in 2013, this publication has contributed to giving visibility and strengthening the issues on the shared agenda of Ethiopia and Argentina: South-South cooperation, the fight against colonialism and the advancement of the economies of both countries.
Argentina is honored and proud of the ties it has forged with Ethiopia over this time. Throughout this decade, our countries have overcome a myriad of challenges and supported each other in their paths of economic and social growth. An example of our latest cooperation has been the resumption of flights between Addis Ababa and Buenos Aires, which are the only direct connection for passengers traveling from Africa to South America and vice versa. Although the COVID19 pandemic brought these flights to a halt, the joint effort of our governments made it possible to resume them and continue strengthening the ties between our peoples– and continents.
In this respect, the Argentine Embassy is thankful to the Ethiopian Herald for all its work and support during these years. Its unwavering support has indeed contributed to nurturing Ethiopians’ understanding of our history, reality and vision. Through the publication of the activities of our Embassy, the Ethiopian Herald allowed Ethiopia to learn about the work of Argentina in the country and abroad, thus consolidating a sense of proximity and shared objectives.
More specifically, we deeply appreciate the Herald’s support to the work Argentina carries out in order to bring forward the Question of the Malvinas Islands. As Ethiopia has demonstrated throughout its history, national sovereignty free from unwelcome external influences is key to shaping a future that unleashes the full potential of our peoples while keeping traditional values at its core. Argentinians understand the great value placed by Ethiopia in independence, and based on this understanding we share Ethiopia’s stance on anti-colonialism. Current colonialism is a scourge that similarly affects Global South countries, and which therefore requires us to join efforts and find a way out of it and into development.
Thanks to the work of media such as the Ethiopian Herald, a lot has been done to advance the decolonization agenda. We hope that we will continue working together to promote other issues in the rich agenda between our countries. Indeed, our fraternal ties go beyond shared values in the political field and reach out into growing economic ties as well as scientific and technological cooperation, a field in which Argentina has a lot to contribute to Ethiopia and the rest of the African continent.
Argentina is proud of all the joint work carried out so far, and is confident that Ethiopia will continue overcoming current challenges with the determination and strength that outline its history. Let us celebrate the friendship of our nations, and the continued support of the Ethiopian Herald as the main media to inform on it. Congratulations on your 80th anniversary!
BY GUSTAVO TEODORO GRIPPO (Argentina Amb. to Ethiopia)
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 4 JULY 2023
