MoFA accords special attention to public diplomacy – Spox

Addis Ababa, June 29, 2023 (FBC) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia accords special attention to public diplomacy, said the Spokesperson of the Ministry, Ambassador Meles Alem, during his Bi-Weekly Press Briefing to local and Addis-based international media corps earlier this morning.

In his briefing, Ambassador Meles highlighted, among other issues, the need for the continued support of the international community to the post-conflict peace consolidation and rehabilitation efforts of the Government and the concerted efforts of the Ministry and Missions overseas to expedite trade and attract more foreign investment as well as boosting the tourism sector.

Citing the fact that economic diplomacy is the alpha and omega of Ethiopia’s foreign relations and its ultimate goal being to create conducive environment for increased trade, investment and tourism, the Spokesperson noted, in the field of public diplomacy a high-level Djiboutian public diplomacy team will pay a visit to Ethiopia from 02 to 07 July 2023.

The Djiboutian PD delegation is composed of 112 members sourced from various sectors of the society and the visit chiefly aims to further bolster the people-to-people ties between the two countries, Amb. Meles said. In this regard, the Spokesman reiterated the fact that Ministry accords special attention to public diplomacy.

In the same token, the 2nd Afri-Run consultative forum on the equitable and reasonable utilization of the Nile was held last week. High-level government officials, scholars, media personalities and other invited guests participated in the historic conference, the Spokesperson added. Amb. Meles said, the participants visited the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and stressed the importance of the forum for dialogue on shared, transboundary water resources in Africa.

He also mentioned the fact that, a successful consultative forum on Ethiopian diplomacy was conducted in Addis Ababa on 24 June 2023. Ethiopia’s foreign relations apart from members of the foreign service will be conducted by scholars, veteran diplomats and nationals, at large, Amb. Meles noted.

Ambassador Meles also briefly highlighted the high-level diplomatic engagements of President Sahle-Work Zewde, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen over the last two weeks and responded to miscellaneous questions raised by correspondents.