Ethiopia, SaudiArabia discuss pivotal issues regarding migrant workers

Addis Ababa, November 28, 2022 (FBC) – Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia advised on pivotal issues including migrant workers and reptriation of citizens.

Lencho Bati, Aambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, and Mulugeta Kelil, Consul General of Ethiopia’s General Consulate in Jeddah, conferred with a delegation led by Mohammed Alshammari (PhD), consisting of higher officials from Saudi Immigration, the Interior Ministry, and the Immigration Detention Center, Makkah region branch.

The two sides discussed a variety of issues, including the resumed repatriation of Ethiopian nationals under difficult circumstances, convicts who served their sentences and are awaiting repatriation, and the ways in which Ethiopian nationals who entered the Kingdom through various routes but lost their legal residency in due course could be granted a special amnesty to leave the country without detention.

The conversation also touched on the Ethiopian government’s determination to stem irregular migration and its hopes that the labor agreement struck between the two governments will be implemented so that Ethiopians can come and work in the Kingdom while their rights and privileges are respected.

Recalling the long historical ties between the two countries, Ambassador Alshammari noted the importance Saudi Arabia attaches to this relationship and congratulated the government of Ethiopia on reaching a milestone agreement, putting an end to the conflict in Northern Ethiopia.

He also expressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to assisting Ethiopia in the repatriation of its people from Saudi deportation centers, as well as his government’s willingness to collaborate on the mechanisms proposed by Ethiopia for the repatriation of convicts who have served their sentences.

He mentioned his government’s steadfast commitment to implementing the special amnesty provided to Ethiopian nationals who had lost their legal residency status and were willing to return. He emphasized the efforts being made to safeguard the porous border through which illegal migrants enter the Kingdom.

The Director General also stated that, in order to discourage workers from fleeing their employers and thus losing their legal residency, new laws are being implemented that allow migrant workers to switch employers if and when they are dissatisfied with their working conditions and/or salaries.

Finally, in light of promoting legal labor migration, the Director General pointed out that the stalled labor agreement signed by the two governments will soon be launched, as per MFA Ethiopia.