Ethiopian Embassy News · were governed by our democratic Gadaa system, becoming an example to the...
Transcript of Ethiopian Embassy News · were governed by our democratic Gadaa system, becoming an example to the...
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Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed with Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
Ethiopian Embassy News A Monthly Bulletin of the Ethiopian Embassy, Washington D.C.
Year: IV Issue 10 April 2018
Ethiopia's New Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy
Ahmed, promises critical sector reforms
After taking the oath of office on 2 April 2018, Prime
Minister Dr. Abiy made a speech in which he uttered that
such a moment would open up a new chapter in the
county’s history. The new Premier noted that the peaceful
transfer of power signified two main realities: it signals
the fact that we have laid the foundations for a durable
and all-inclusive constitutional order as well as it implies
that we are building a system that walks along with the
country's political, economic, and social conditions and
which is governed by the will of the people.
Contents
Ethiopia's New Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, promises critical sector reforms ...... 1
Ethiopia marks 7th anniversary of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ............................... 3
The adoption of House Resolution 128 is Untimely and Inappropriate ............................... 4
Senator Inhofe and Senator Rounds Statement on
“H.Res. 128” .................................................................. 5
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Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed receiving the Ethiopian Flag from
Former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn
Dr. Abiy made it quite clear that while learning from
mistakes and looking ahead, he and his Government's
primary responsibility was to: "propel our country to a
higher level of development and move forward while
ensuring that its unity is secured on a sustainable basis."
The Premier emphasized vividly some of the prominent
historical events in Ethiopia that had proved to the whole
world the remarkable unity of its people and its identity -
"inextricably linked", from Metema to Adwa; from
Karamara to Badme. He stressed, however, that unity did
not signify oneness. It needed to be one that embraced
diversity while also being decorated with multinational
identity. He stressed that dissent and diverging
viewpoints must also be there if Ethiopians aspired to
witness their country as a prosperous and strong nation.
Concerning the economy, Dr. Abiy noted "even if it is
known that our economy is growing, this growth has not
met the changing needs of the youth. We understand that
our people are dissatisfied for this reason. Our country
can go nowhere without the youth. Ethiopia has to give
hope for its youth, and not engender the loss of hope." He
pledged that his Government will do all it can to creating
numerous young investors and put in place a just social
and economic structure.
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed taking the Oath
A central element in his speech was democracy. The
Prime Minister said: "We Ethiopians need and also
deserve democracy. Democracy is not for us an alien idea.
When it was foreign to many peoples and countries, we
were governed by our democratic Gadaa system,
becoming an example to the world." Stressing the need to
respect all human and democratic rights and the
observance of peace and justice, the Prime Minister
affirmed that for Ethiopia today, building democracy was
an existential matter.
In the same way, he urged all those who called for their
democratic and human rights to act in a peaceful manner.
Violence, he said, would stunt the growth of the budding
democracy. In this context, Prime Minister Abiy also
assured the Ethiopian Diaspora that his government
would continue with unreserved efforts to facilitate their
active participation in transforming the country into all
inclusive and democratic one.
Turning to external affairs and stressing the need to
further expand ties with neighboring countries, the Prime
Minister mentioned the close cross and inter-cultural
linkages among all the peoples of the Horn of Africa. As
the country is the emblem of Pan-Africanism, the founder
and seat of the African Union as well as many other
important international organizations it plays a notable
role in regional, continental, and global matters. Dr. Abiy
said his Government would further reinforce and
continue its relations with all "our African brothers.”
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The Premier referred specifically to relations with Eritrea:
"While expressing our readiness to resolve our differences
through dialogue, I take this opportunity to call on the
Eritrean government to take a similar stand not only for
the sake of our common interest but also for the common
blood relations between the peoples of the two countries."
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed delivering his speech
Prime Minister Dr. Abiy expressed his strong hope that the
upcoming time in Ethiopia would be a time of love and
forgiveness. He asked forgiveness for the many advocates
of freedom and justice and the politicians and youth whose
lives were cut short over the years and for the members of
the security forces whose lives were lost to keep peace and
in the line of duty of their constitutional responsibility. He
called for people to close the chapters of yesterday with
forgiveness and promised to devise solutions for the
problems that led to past crises.
Ethiopia marks 7th anniversary of the Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) nearing completion
Ethiopia celebrated the 7th anniversary of the
commencement of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian
Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Monday (April 2). The
celebration was held at Guba, in Benishangul Gumuz
Regional State, where the dam is being constructed.
Speaking at the event, Engineer Azeb Asnake, Chief
Executive Officer of Ethiopian Electric Power, said GERD's
power generating capacity has now reached 6,450 MW
following the design upgrading underway twice, which
upon completion will be the largest in Africa. She added
that upon completion of the projects at Genale Dawa,
Koischa, Alutho Geothermal, Korbeti and Tulu Moye and
Rapi Waste to Energy Project, the country will be able to
produce some 10,000 megawatts of electric power.
Etenesh Mekuria, State Minister of Water, Irrigation and
Electricity, on her part underlined that the construction of
the dam would not be a threat to the lower riparian
countries; rather it would improve the unity of the states
concerned. The government remains totally confident that
GERD will play a major role for the regional integration, for
the benefit of the peoples of all the riparian countries and
is committed to find a win-win solution for all countries.
Equally, the State Minister stressed the dam would create
not only electric power but also cement national unity and
the fight against poverty.
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It is stated that the Diaspora had bought US56 million
worth of bonds to help finance the Dam, as well as several
hundred million dollars from the public at home. The total
cost of construction is estimated at 4.7 billion dollars. It is
worth underlining that in addition to purchasing bonds,
local farmers have planted 4 billion tree seedlings around
the dam to protect the ecosystem. The Spokesperson also
noted that the government had helped form an association,
Ethiopian International Professional Support for Abay
(EIPSA), bringing economists, engineers and water experts
of Ethiopian origin to provide technical expertise on the
Dam project.
The Ethiopian Grand Renaissance Dam (GERD) shows that
Ethiopia is on the right track to implement its ambitions of
accelerating national development to eradicate poverty,
achieve economic well-being and attain the status of a
middle-income country by 2025. GERD will be the largest
hydropower dam in Africa and the tenth largest in the
world with its1,780-meter width and 145 meters in height.
Its completion will change the face of East African power
infrastructure. It will have the potential to generate 6,450
MW, equivalent to the combined power of 4 nuclear
reactors.
GERD will also provide cheap and abundant electricity to
the booming manufacturing sector of the country. The
demand for electricity is currently growing by more than
20% each year. According to the Office of National Council
for the Coordination of Public Participation on the
Construction of GERD, electricity generation from the Dam
is planned to start this year. Two turbines each with
capacity to generate 375 MW have already been installed
and are waiting to test electricity generation. Another
additional effect of the Dam has been the creation of job
opportunities for about 9,000 Ethiopians and 260 foreign
nationals who are participating in the construction of the
dam and substantially expanded infrastructure in the
region.
The adoption of House Resolution 128 is
Untimely and Inappropriate
The Government of Ethiopia believes that the passing of
the H. Res. 128 by the U.S. House is untimely and
inappropriate. This simple resolution is counterproductive
and is against the important partnership between the U.S.
and Ethiopia. Those members of the House who
cosponsored the resolution conspicuously failed to
recognize the changing reality on the ground. It is believed
that the said resolution is more of political than focusing
the addressing the challenges Ethiopia faces.
H Res. 128 ignores the positive strides the country has
made recently. Even if H. Res. 128 is not binding and
substantive, members of the opposition and social media
activists are using it for their ulterior motive to undermine
Ethiopia and its government. It is apparent that the
Government of Ethiopia has been in the middle leadership
transition, working under new political dynamism by
launching bold reforms aimed at increasing transparency
and widening the country's democratic space. Some of
these initiatives include releasing of prisoners and
stabilizing the situation in conflict affected areas across
the country. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was also sworn
and expressed the political will of the leadership to
urgently undertake the multifaceted reforms that could
address the grievance and concern of people in short
period of time. This momentum created optimism in the
country encouraging the leadership to embark on a
promising trajectory. That is why the Government of
Ethiopia believes H.Res.128 is untimely and inappropriate.
The United States Congress has supported democratic
values and helped advance peace and stability in Ethiopia.
As a result, over the past decades, the United States and
Ethiopia have worked closely to strengthen our democratic
system and help improve human rights conditions. Of
course, in some cases, there have been differences as to
how to achieve these objectives, but we have always
welcomed positive engagement with the United States.
However, given the strong bilateral ties and the joint efforts
to address governance and human rights concerns through
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“As a strategic partner to the United States, particularly in
terms of security cooperation in the region, Ethiopia
deserved better today. We are disappointed in the House of
Representative’s vote and want you to know that this
resolution is not binding and has no force of law. We will
continue to support you as the vital, vibrant partner for
democracy that you are.”
mutually agreed mechanisms, passing such a resolution is
unnecessary and counterproductive. Moreover, while
Ethiopia values its bilateral relations with the United States
and works to promote regional peace and security in the
Horn of Africa, the resolution undermines its sovereignty
and political independence.
The Government of Ethiopia would also like to express its
appreciation to those Members of Congress, Senate and
Executive branch who, having evaluated the facts on the
ground as well as weighing the importance of the bilateral
relationship, worked against this biased resolution.
Senator Inhofe and Senator Rounds Statement
on “H.Res. 128”
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and Sen. Mike Rounds made the
following statement after H.Res. 128, an outdated
resolution from the House of Representatives that
condemned the democratically elected government in
Ethiopia, was passed by voice vote:
“We have been to Ethiopia many times and seen firsthand
the progress they have made—coming out of communism
to democracy. This inaccurate resolution is an insult to the
country, the people of Ethiopia and to the newly sworn-in
Prime Minister. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was especially
selected by Ethiopians for his commitment to democracy
and good governance.
“Prime Minster Abiy deserves a chance to prove himself
and his commitment to democracy to the United States and
the international community before enduring such a rude,
inaccurate resolution. It is a shame that the House of
Representatives would pass a resolution that sharply
condemns the Ethiopian government at just the moment it
needs support to enact needed reforms. We are especially
disappointed that this passed by voice vote so no one
Congressman would have the stigma of voting for this
condescending resolution.
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