Ethiopia’s new Foreign Minister meets the Diplomatic community
On Wednesday this week [20th Oct], Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopia’s new Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with representatives of the diplomatic corps and of the international community, including the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and other international organizations. He said it was a collective occasion which provided him with an opportunity for individual and bilateral encounters and the chance to initiate contacts. It was not, however, intended to be a substitute for the more formal and extended discussions he intended to have with everyone later. He told the diplomatic corps that he had no greater priority as foreign minister of Ethiopia than ensuring Ethiopia’s relations with the countries and the bodies represented in Addis Ababa should be based on true partnership and friendship rooted in mutual trust and mutual consideration. He said that while he might disagree with his listeners and even make them unhappy, he would not mislead them. One thing, he said, that he cherished in relations between nations was consistency and predictability, based on principles.
Minister Hailemariam did not go into detail on substantive issues but he did refer to the fact that the months ahead would be critical to the region and to Africa: What happens in Sudan would by no means be limited to the people of the Sudan; Somalia was not yet out of the woods. The challenges remained daunting. In all this, he said, “we need your support and understanding; we can not compartmentalize our problems in regional terms”. He also assured his listeners that in other critical matters such as climate change and environmental issues, Ethiopia’s proactive involvement would be greater not less. On regional issues, Minister Hailemariam said he was confident that everyone would work to strengthen IGAD's regional peace and integration initiatives. Underlining Ethiopia’s Chairmanship of IGAD, he said he would spare no effort to work with everybody to promote peace and stability in our sub-region.
Minister Hailemariam referred briefly to the new Growth and Transformation Plan describing its implementation as a Herculean task. He said Ethiopia was, however, determined to achieve the targets set out. The government had assumed the primary responsibility for implementing the Plan, but he added “we will also count on your assistance to successfully realize our objectives”. He emphasized that the presence of the African Union in Addis Ababa provided a great opportunity for Ethiopians. It was a gift from Africa for which the Ethiopian people would always be grateful. Minister Hailemariam said he would “like to urge all to support the African Union’s continental endeavours to promote development, peace and security and good governance.” “To lift Africa from the quagmire of underdevelopment and set it on the path of prosperity, we, together with our brothers and sisters from Africa, would like to encourage our partners to serve as a bridge between our continent and their respective countries and the organizations they represent”.