Addis Ababa, December 28, 2022 (FBC) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, Demeke Mekonnen stated that Ethiopia has achieved remarkable diplomatic successes in the last two years, addressing important issues in bilateral and multilateral fora.
He mentioned the negotiations over the construction and filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as well as the Pretoria Peace Deal, as examples of the successful outcomes of Ethiopia’s insistence on solving matters guided by the maxim, “African Solutions to African Problems.”
The success of the Ministry’s endeavors against all the odds is admirable, he said, further emphasizing the need to take lessons, be proactive, and follow a pragmatic approach to keeping balance in the shifting geopolitics of the world.
He stated that coordination and collaboration among Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other ministries in the country, and various missions abroad are required to foster a sense of shared ownership over Ethiopia’s diplomacy and adequately address critical issues.
The Deputy Prime Minister also discussed the outcome of the Ministry’s reform process and the lessons learned thus far, emphasizing the importance of developing an institutional culture based on transparency, standards, and meritocracy in order to efficiently run the country’s diplomacy.
The leadership of the Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS), the Ethiopian Diaspora Agency, and the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA), including Ambassador Ababi Demessie from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs addressed some of the comments posed by participants.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister was speaking to senior diplomats from Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who were gathered at the African Leadership Excellence Academy in Sululta for an annual performance evaluation retreat.