Transport Minister Delivers PM Abiy’s Message to Netherlands PM

Addis Ababa, June 17, 2021(Walta) – Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges delivers Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s special message addressed to Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte.

Accompanied by Chief of Cabinet of the Office of the Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mehreteab Mulugeta, and Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Million Samuel, Dagmawit delivered the Prime Minister’s message to Sigrid Kaag, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands.

During the meeting, the two sides covered main issues related to the situation in Tigray, the upcoming national elections, Ethiopia’s position on the GERD negotiations, and the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute.

Their discussion on Tigray focused upon the ongoing humanitarian efforts that the government of Ethiopia has been undertaking so far and the importance of scaling up international support in this regard.

Dagmawit has addressed concerns related to access to humanitarian operators in the region and clarify issues on the international community‘s misunderstanding in putting the federal government on equal footing with the TPLF, a group that wreaked havoc in the country since the establishment of the current administration.

The Netherlands’ Foreign Minister affirmed her government’s commitment to supporting the humanitarian efforts of the Ethiopian government in the Tigray region adding that the Netherlands will continue supporting the multifaceted reform programs of the government of Ethiopia.

According to Dagmawit, the dialogue with various political parties, the opportunities opened for dissidents to participate in the political life of the country and all the efforts made to make the electoral process transparent coupled with legislative and institutional reforms have paved the way to realize the government’s plan to make the upcoming general election fair and credible.

Discussing the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Dagmawit explained how the intransigence of Egypt and Sudan stalled the talks and appreciated the AU-led process while Sigrid Kaag said her country is ready to share its technical experience in this regard.

The issue of the Ethiopia-Sudan border dispute was a subject put on the table where the two sides affirmed dialogue as the only option to solve the issue amicably.