National News Political

Amb. Dina Mufti delivers fortnight press briefing

February 9, 2021
Adimasu Aragawu
Ambassador Dina Mufti

Spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Ambassador Dina Mufti, has presented today the Ministry’s biweekly press briefing focusing on various Diplomatic activities of the Ministry, the recently concluded 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union and the 38th AU Executive council meeting, Various engagements by the Ministry and relevant bodies regarding the Humanitarian and rehabilitation/rebuilding efforts in Tigray, including major activities related to Economic Diplomacy, citizen-centered diplomatic activities and capacity building of staffers.

Here is the summary of the briefing, according to The Spokesperson of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

  1. Diplomatic Activities
  • Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia had a meeting yesterday with Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa. During the meeting, the two have discussed, among others, cooperation between Ethiopia and UNDP, the humanitarian situation in the Tigray region, and the ongoing preparation for the upcoming election.
  • Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen conferred over the phone yesterday with Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation. The Deputy Prime Minister briefed Lavrov on the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Tigray. Lavrov said Russian Federation understands and supports the effort the Government of Ethiopia is exerting to address the humanitarian challenges in the Tigray region and added that his Government is always ready to continue to assist Ethiopia in this regard.
  • State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussein on Wednesday, February 03 received the copy of the credentials of the Ambassador of Chad and Gambia to Ethiopia. They agreed to strengthen relations in aviation and trade.
  • State Minister Ambassador Redwan Hussien, conferred with the UN’s envoy to the Horn of Africa region, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga. The discussion between the two sides covered several issues related to the law enforcement operation in Tigray and events ensued after the conclusion of the campaign. Ambassador Redwan briefed the UN envoy on the federal government’s efforts in rehabilitating and reconstructing destroyed infrastructure in Tigray and in delivering humanitarian assistance to affected people in the region. They noted that UNHCR Chief H.E. Filippo Grandi’s visit to Eritrean refugee camps in Tigray has also been fruitful for it has revealed the reality on the ground contrary to falsehoods and misrepresentations from various fronts. Ambassador Redwan also briefed the UN official on Ethiopia’s commitment to peace in resolving the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute.
  1. African union
  • The 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union and the 38th AU Executive council meeting was successfully held virtually
  • The fight against the COVID19 pandemic and access to the vaccine, where no African is left behind, was the main focus of the Assembly, in addition to economic integration, ensuring peace and democratic/good governance in the continent
  • Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia has participated in the 38th African Union Executive council meeting, where he delivered remarks highlighting the current situations in Ethiopia. The Minister thoroughly explained the government’s efforts together with international stakeholders in addressing the humanitarian needs of affected people during the law enforcement operation, in addition to 1.8 million people who were covered under the Safety Net program prior to the commencement of the operation.
  • President Sahle-Work Zewde has briefed the 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to the Union and Ethiopia’s stance to peacefully solve the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute through the application of the already agreed upon existing mechanisms.
  • Moussa Faki Mahamat has been re-elected as AUC Chairperson, and Ethiopian leaders (Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, congratulated him for being given the mandate to lead the Commission for another term)
  • DRC president, President Felix Tshisekedi took over AU chairmanship from South Africa
  • Because Rwanda’s Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa was elected as the Deputy Chairmanship of the Commission, Professor, Hirut’s bid for the position of AU Commissioner for ESTI could not be materialized. The electoral policy does not allow two candidates to be represented from the same region.

III. Engagements by relevant bodies regarding Situations in Tigray

  • President Sahle-Work Zewde has visited hospitals and centers for displaced people in the city. The President also conferred with community leaders, elders, and the youth in the city regarding humanitarian assistance and security issues. She said the with the government’s aggressive actions, the complete normalcy of the region will be ensured soon and she called on Ethiopians to support rehabilitation and rebuilding activities in the region.
  • The Minister of Peace, Muferihat Kamil, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, David Beasley, and the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Catherine Sozi completed a joint visit to Mekelle in Tigray.

– They have agreed to rapidly scale up a Government-led collective response to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of people in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region

– Beasley commended the emergency food assistance that the Government and partners have already provided to the people of Tigray since the onset of the crisis, reaching almost 1.8 million people with emergency food distributions. 26,000 Eritrean refugees residing in two camps have also received food and nutrition assistance.

– WFP has accepted a request from the Government to augment the transportation capacity of the Government and partners to deliver humanitarian assistance into and within Tigray.

– WFP has also agreed to provide emergency food relief assistance to up to 1 million people in Tigray and launch a blanket supplementary feeding intervention to assist up to 875,000 nutritionally vulnerable children and pregnant and lactating mothers.

– The Government will also review visa requests for international humanitarian staff with urgency and priority.

– Muferihat said the Government will review visa requests for international humanitarian staff with urgency and priority (to approve requests for international staff movements into and within Tigray) and to ensure that humanitarian assistance in Tigray can be expanded and intensified without delay

– The Government of Ethiopia has welcomed recent positive engagements with the Government by senior UN officials, including the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Executive Director of the World Food Programme.

  • According to a statement from the Ministry of Health

– So far, distribution of pharmaceuticals has been done to more than 70 health facilities in various woredas of Tigray. An estimated 1.5 million worth of vaccines has also been distributed.

– The Ministry of Health has sent 12 ambulances, 11 pickup trucks, one refrigerated vehicle, and 100 computers to the region.

– To strengthen blood and blood product services, 952 units of blood were distributed to different locations from the regional blood banks, and 2,803 units of blood were collected from voluntary blood donors in Mekele.

– Numerous supplemental foods and female sanitary products were collected and distributed from partner organizations.

– Currently, the Health facilities in the Tigray region are partially functional with 46 percent of the hospitals giving service. The Ministry of Health is working in close collaboration with the RHB and other stakeholders for the full functionality of all the health facilities.

– Together with the food aid provided by the National Disaster and Risk Commission, mobile medical teams are also screening and giving medical and nutritional support to internally displaced people in the region especially to vulnerable women and children.

  • According to a statement released by EthioTelecom

– Following the undergoing maintenance works on the damaged resources and by securing power, 363 mobile sites have been restored. As a result, mobile voices and fixed services have been resumed in Mekele Wikro. Humera Sekota Adwa, Edaga, Hamus, Mytsebri, Hewanie, Axum, Adishehu, Maykadra, Firewoyne, Adigrat, Adi Gudom, Korem, Seleklaka, Shire Endesellase, Agula, Alemata, Betmera, Negash, Wukro, Maria, Michew, Dansha, Turkan, Samre.

– In addition, the statement said, we have given utmost attention to help banks restore their services through availing Fixed Broadband Service In the region. In this respect, the service has been restored for Banks in Mekele and Adigrat since January 2021.

  1. Economic and CitizenCentred Diplomacy
  • State Minister Tsion Teklu received at her office on Friday a delegation of Russian investors from St. Petersburg city. The Ministry, under the office of State Minister Tsion Tekleu, carried outperformance of the recent movement to promote Ethiopia under the theme “Rising Ethiopia” campaign.
  • Ethiopia receives a stamp of approval from the World Travel & Tourism Council (????). WTTC, which represents the global Travel and Tourism private sector, created the Safe Travels Stamp in May 2020, to allow travelers to identify destinations and businesses around the world which have adopted the global standardized health and hygiene protocols. Ethiopia is the latest destination to be awarded the Safe Travels Stamp – the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp – following major steps implemented by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism last year to ensure safety for residents, travelers, and workers, and businesses in the tourism value chain, as Ethiopia reopened its borders to international visitors.
  • 703 Ethiopians have been repatriated from Beirut and Saudi Arabia.
  1. Capacity building
  • The Ministry is giving a two-week long training to newly appointed Ambassadors and deputies to be posted to countries in Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia pacific. The training focuses on Diplomacy and International relations; international conventions, political, economic, and public/digital diplomacy, and Ethiopian Foreign Policy, among others.
  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia has concluded on February 03, the three-day Seminar it has been giving to the Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs standing committee of the House of Peoples Representatives of Ethiopia. The seminar aimed to equip attendees with the basics of the Foreign Policy of Ethiopia, the international rules governing relationships among countries, and the duties of various departments in the Ministry. State Minister, Ambassador Birtukan Ayano, in her remarks, underscored the importance of the seminar in laying foundations to create mutual understandings between the two institutions on pivotal issues of the country.