Ethiopia working on a more diversified and inclusive diplomacy: MFA Spokesperson

Addis Ababa, August 24, 2023 (FBC) – The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Ambassador Meles Alem, in his bi-weekly press briefing conducted this morning disclosed that the Ministry is working towards a more diversified and inclusive diplomatic engagements in bilateral, regional, continental and multilateral venues.

Addressing local and Addis Ababa-based correspondents, Ambassador Meles said, the Ministry’s focus area in the 2015/2016 EFY is the diversification and inclusivity of its holistic and cross-cutting engagements in the areas of aviation, sports, cultural and people-to-people diplomacy.

In this regard, the Spokesperson stressed the fact that diplomacy is not a reserve of career diplomats only rather the wider public.

“As such, the Government is working on building the capacity of foreign service personnel while capitalizing on merits and professionalism to increase the efficiency and efficacy of the conduct of the nation’s diplomacy and foreign relations,” he said.

Speaking of the current state-of-affairs, the Spokesperson noted, the Ethiopian Government is committed to furthering the post-conflict peace consolidation efforts in tandem with the implementation of transitional justice and national dialogue mechanisms.

“The concerted efforts in this regard are geared towards sustainably protecting our national interests and expanding the sphere of Ethiopia’s influence in global affairs,” he added.

Ethiopia’s main foreign policy imperative in the Horn of Africa is ensuring peace and stability as well as economic integration buttressed by people-to-people and infrastructural linkages, according to the Spokesperson.

Parallel to its active engagements in regional affairs, Ethiopia is also committed to championing Pan-African ideals in such a way that African problems could be solved through African mechanisms, Ambassador Meles told journalists.

In the Middle East, the Spokesperson disclosed, the Government is working closely with countries of the Gulf to further boost the multifaceted relations, especially in the areas of trade, investment and job opportunities for our nationals in those nations.

The Ministry is working on normalizing relations with the United States and the European Union along with boosting relations Asian, Pacific and South American countries, Ambassador Meles stated.

The overall diplomatic engagements of the country in multilateral for a including the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will be guided by its commitment to multilateralism and enhancing its participation.