Addis Ababa, December 16, 2023 (FBC) – The European Union (EU) is ready to continue supporting Ethiopia in various development sectors, EU Ambassador Roland Kobia said.

In an exclusive interview with ENA, the ambassador said the structured dialogue held between the Government of Ethiopia and the EU in the first week of December was very successful and a very good exercise.

The EU-Ethiopia structured dialogue was held in the presence of ambassadors of EU member states and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen.

According to Ambassador Kobia, they had in-depth discussion about everything, political issues, conflicts, human rights, the economy, trade and development, and how EU can support the country.

“We didn’t agree on everything; but that is normal,” he said, adding that it was however a very constructive discussion.

One of the issues that the government would like the European Union and member states to do is support the country in order to overcome difficult moments from development and economic point of view, he noted.

“We showed readiness and availability to continue discussions with the government, to see where the EU can be the most useful, where the needs are, and where the EU can actually deliver very concretely in terms of its support.”

Ambassador Kobia pointed out that development needs are everywhere today in the world and they are increasing. But the amount of money is not increasing.

So, we need to be efficient with the money; and we need to ensure that all the development partners can work in a good environment to be efficient and help the population of Ethiopia.

This is something we want to discuss with the government and with the regions of Ethiopia, because it is a mutual decision.

“EU is traditionally involved in many different areas, but mainly, I would say, education, health, and the social sectors. But also now with the Global Gateway, we are ready to work on infrastructure to develop the connectivity, the connections also between Ethiopia and its neighbors and also inside Ethiopia.”

The ambassador further said that EU is supporting the National Dialogue Commission, a platform to resolve differences of opinion and disagreements among various leaders and segments of the society on the most fundamental issues about Ethiopia.

“We have been one of the strongest supporters of the national dialogue from the very beginning, politically but also financially. The EU and the member states of the European Union are strongly supporting national dialogue,” the ambassador said.