The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says farewell to Ato Seyoum
Meanwhile, earlier in the week, members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took leave of former Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, Africa’s longest serving Foreign Minister. He had held the post since the present government was established in 1991, and before that had been responsible for the foreign affairs of the TPLF and then the EPRDF during the long struggle against the military dictatorship between 1975 and 1991. Speaking at the event on Monday, Ato Seyoum expressed his belief that his successor and the staff of the Ministry would further enhance the diplomatic relations built up over the previous decades. He said he had no doubt that the people-to-people relations, and the political and economic links created during his time in office would be strengthened in the future. He said he was most grateful for the support he had received from the staff of the Ministry, and for the professional commitment they had displayed. Similarly, he expressed his appreciation for the contribution of the party. Together they had been able to overcome the inevitable problems and shortages that had affected the Ministry at times. The Ministry had been responsible for successfully implementing the policy of the party. It was a collective effort and he was very grateful for the experience. He added that Minister Hailemariam Desalegn was exactly the right person to take up the reins of foreign policy and work for the success of the new five-year Growth and Transformation Plan. Thanking all his colleagues and members of the ministry, he stressed that he would continue to devote his efforts to Ethiopia. One phase, he said, had finally come to an end, but he remained sure that he still had something to offer.
In giving an appreciation of Ato Seyoum, his long time colleague, Dr. Tekeda Alemu, who is also leaving his position as Minister of State, noted that he had worked with Ato Seyoum since 1991. It had been an enlightening and inspiring experience. He described Ato Seyoum as sincere and honest, transparent and thoughtful, a man of integrity who did not pretend or dissimulate. He was a civilized and even gentle person who was cautious and thoughtful, who did not rush to judgment, but could always be relied upon to come to the right and proper conclusions. He always took the trouble to listen to others but made it very clear that in the last resort he was the one in charge. Competent and efficient, he provided a remarkably sound basis for an effective and successful foreign policy, laying out the main parameters of policy, clearly, consistently and logically. Dr. Tekeda emphasized just how much effort Ato Seyoum had put into enhancing Ethiopia’s diplomatic relations, and how successful he had been in establishing Ethiopia’s foreign relations on the basis of mutual benefit, mutual respect, mutual understanding and joint responsibility. Both Dr. Tekeda and Ato Seyoum also paid tribute to the role played by Prime Minister Meles in the formulation of the concepts underlying Ethiopia’s foreign policy.