August 5, 2021 (Walta) – The Ethiopian Ambassador to the European Union has protested against an opinion piece authored by Baroness Arminka Helič.
The peace headlined “In Ethiopia, echoes of Yugoslavia” was published on August 02, 2021.
Baroness Arminka Helič is based on a misconstrued parallel that is both factually and conceptually incorrect argued the Ambassador.
“In an attempt to draw a parallel with Yugoslavia, the author has failed to understand the sociopolitical, historical and cultural contexts of the country and its people,” said the ambassador in her published response statement on Politico,.
“To begin with, Ethiopia and its people are known for their cultural and religious tolerance and have lived in harmony for many centuries. There exists no enmity among the people of Ethiopia. Therefore, comparing the country’s current situation with the Balkans is a complete malposition” she added.
Additionally, without properly understanding the nuances of the official Ethiopian language or statements made by our leaders with regard to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the author has misinterpreted a label aimed at the TPLF as describing our compatriots in Tigray. It appears that the author attempts to call for unwarranted interventions from the international community based on misinformed ideas. However, it must be made clear that no Ethiopian official has incited ill intentions against their own people as the piece portrayed, the statement underlines.
The TPLF, which provoked conflict in November 2020 by attacking the National Defense Force Bases throughout the Tigray region, is now labeled a terrorist group by the Ethiopian Parliament.
TPLF leaders who instigated the attack on Ethiopian Defense Force must be brought before the court of law. That is what the government of Ethiopia has been doing from day one of the Law Enforcement Operation.
“No country would sit idly by while such an attack is committed” argued the ambassador.
The Ethiopian Government after bringing some of the instigators of the conflict before the court of law, has declared a unilateral ceasefire in order to allow smooth humanitarian supplies in to the region and for farmers to till their land almost a month ago.
The group designated as a terrorist by the Ethiopian House of People’s Representatives continues to provoke adjacent administrative regions of Amhara and Afar. That provocative act has hindered humanitarian access to Tigray.
“The TPLF clique, rejecting this peaceful gesture, has instead opted to aggravate the situation by prolonging the fighting. The author’s view of the TPLF’s destabilizing character, expanding the conflict to neighboring provinces, demonstrates only an attempt to justify the acts of the TPLF as legitimate and, even more so, unjustifiably impose sanctions on Ethiopia,” added the ambassador in her statement protesting the opinion peace.
“The Embassy of Ethiopia not only rejects this erroneous opinion but would also request that as a respected official of a reputed country, the author refrain from comparing incomparable situations and calling for unwarranted action,” concludes Ambassador Hirut.
Former US Assistant Secretary of State, Tibor Nagy, seems to agree with Ambassador Hirut point of view.
“Those saying Ethiopia will crumble like Yugoslavia are wrong. Yugoslavia was a country created by WWI’s winners while the Ethiopian nation evolved over 2,000 years of history and has overcome many previous crises. Once peace returns it will thrive again,” tweets Nagy on August 04,2021.
Baroness Arminka Helič is a British Conservative politician from Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is a member of the British House of Lords and served as special adviser to UK Foreign Secretary William Hague from 2010 to 2014. The opinion piece was published on August 02, 2021 on Politico.