Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Demeke discusses current issues with EU Special Representative for HoA

Addis Ababa, February 9, 2022 (FBC) – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Demeke Mekonnen had a meeting with Dr. Annette Weber, European Union Special Representative for the Horn of Africa.

The Deputy Prime Minister briefed the envoy about the positive steps that the Ethiopian government has taken so far to achieve lasting peace in the country, which needs proper recognition from the EU.

Rather than reciprocating the government’s peace efforts, he said the TPLF chose to attack the Afar region afresh, killing and displacing many people and destroying infrastructure.

He said the European Union and the International Community should hold the TPLF accountable for its wrongs in Afar that further hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Tigray region.

Speaking on the severe drought in some parts of the country, including the Somali region and Southern Oromia, he called on humanitarian agencies and development partners to accelerate support to affected people.

The Special envoy, on her part, expressed appreciation for the positive measures the government has taken to give peace a chance.

The discussion between the two sides included the peace efforts of Hon. Olusegun Obasanjo, High Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, and the tripartite talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

In this regard, they noted that the peace efforts of Mr. Obasanjo and the trilateral negotiation over the dam under the auspices of the African Union need support for successful outcomes.