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Amb. Dina Mufti gives fortnight press briefing

December 23, 2020
Adimasu Aragawu

The spokesperson of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Ambassador Dina Mufti gave the Ministry’s fortnight press briefing to the media. In his presentation, the Ambassador focused on the event where the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde has received the credentials of newly appointed ambassadors of seven countries, IGAD’s 38th Extraordinary Summit, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen’s Diplomatic engagements, the Ministry’s efforts to curb misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms as well as economic and citizen-centered diplomatic activities of the Ministry within the past two weeks.

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

  1. President Sahle-Work Zewde had received the credentials of the newly appointed ambassadors of China, Japan, SouthKorea, India, Pakistan, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe to Ethiopia. At the occasion, the President briefed the ambassadors on the recently completed law enforcement operation in Tigray. President Sahle-Work’s briefing included the humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation works in the region as well as restoration of infrastructure and services that the government is undertaking. Recalling that Ethiopia has cemented its relationship with some of these countries with a strategic partnership level, she underlined that Ethiopia is keen to scale up its relationship with the other countries too. The ambassadors commended the government of Ethiopia for completing the law enforcement operation in Tigray and vowed to give new impetus to the already outstanding relationships that exist between Ethiopia and their respective countries.
  2. IGAD Summit

Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali and his delegation comprising Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia have participated in the 38th Extraordinary summit of the assembly of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Heads of State and Government that was recently held in Djibouti.

  1. Activities of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed:
  • He presented a briefing on the operation in the Tigray region
  • He thanked IGAD leaders for understanding and acknowledging Ethiopia’s law enforcement measures as legal and legitimate, as well as for expressing commitment to supporting Ethiopia
  • He has held several discussions on the margins of the summit
  • He met with the Prime Minister of Sudan, Abdalla Hamdok to discuss bilateral issues as a follow-up to their last meeting in Addis Abeba.
  • He met the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and talked about recent regional developments and on how to strengthen cooperation among IGAD countries.
  • He met with Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior, Vice President of South Sudan, and discussed bilateral issues and the continued efforts for peace underway in South Sudan.
  • He also met President Uhuru Kenyatta and conferred on regional and bilateral issues
  1. Fruits of the Summit to Ethiopia
  • The Assembly issued a communiqué on Monday (December 21, 2020) and it reaffirmed the primacy of constitutional order, stability, and unity of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
  • The Chairperson of the African Union Commission also commended the Ethiopian government bold steps to preserve the country’s integrity
  • Despite having its issues, Ethiopia has also shown its deep commitment to let peace reign in the region as it was manifested through the various sideline meetings of the Prime Minister with other leaders of the region

III. Diplomatic activities of DPM and FM Demeke Mekonnen

1) Demeke Mekonnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia briefed four UN senior officials about the latest developments in Tigray.

  • He appreciated Secretary-General António Guterres for taking a principled stand on the situation in the Tigray region.
  • The briefing also focused on the rehabilitation and restoration works following the completion of the operation, the search for the criminals, activities of the interim government, humanitarian assistance to those in need, and repatriation and screening of displaced people
  • Executive Secretary of the ECA, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia, Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the AU, and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa said the Secretary-General believes that Ethiopia is an anchor of peace in the region and stability in Ethiopia means stability for the Horn of Africa.

2) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen met the new UNFPA (the United Nations Population Fund) representative to Ethiopia, Dennia Gayle.

  • He has briefed her on issues related to the humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation works in Tigray.
  • He appreciated the UNFPA for providing support to female Ethiopian refugees in Sudan.
  • Dennia Gayle said the UNFPA is planning to extend support to women and children in the Tigray region.

3) H.E. Demeke Mekonnnen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia held a phone discussion with Pekka Haavisto, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

  • Their discussion focused on the recently completed law enforcement operation in Tigray, the latest developments in the region, and humanitarian assistance to those in need.
  • Although the criminal clique looted Eritrean refugee centers in Tigray, Mr.Demeke said, the refugees are now in safe hands with support from the Ethiopian government.
  • Ethiopia is ready to repatriate citizens from Sudan, he said adding that the government will screen out some refugees who have participated in the Maikadra massacre.
  • He also expressed hope that the European Union would understand the reality on the ground in Tigray. The Union’s stand to put the federal government of Ethiopia on equal footing with the TPLF criminal clique is regrettable, he added.
  • The discussion between the two ministers also included the current status of the AU-led GERD negotiation which is on the right track, plans for the post-COVID period, and distribution of vaccination to the virus.
  1. Combating Social Media Misinformation and Disinformation

State Minister and State of Emergency Spokesperson, Ambassador Redwan Hussein, and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Ambassador Dina Mufti led a discussion with Ethiopian Social media activists on the importance of setting agendas that matter to the public at large.

The discussion covered pivotal national issues, including the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the law enforcement operation in Tigray, the fruits and challenges of the reform process as well as regional and international interests the country aspires to protect.

  1. Economic and Citizen-centered Diplomacy
  • Ethiopian Embassy in Uganda has held a virtual business forum to promote Ethiopia’s leather and leather products to the East African market. Ugandan, Burundian, and Congolese (DRC) diplomats along with business associations, investors, and media outlets took part in the business forum held under the theme, ‘Ethiopia: Africa’s Global Force in Leather Production. State Minister, Tsion Teklu made opening remarks at the occasion highlighting the opportunities opened to investors due to Ethiopian government incentives to the sector and the new Continental Free Trade Area.
  • Ethio-Egypt business council has held an online meeting aiming at strengthening economic ties between the two countries
  • Last week, 327 Ethiopian were repatriated from Saudi Arabia