Kenya keen to deepen ties with Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, April 30, 2021 (FBC) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Kenya,  Meles Alem today paid a courtesy call on the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Kenya,  Raychelle Omamo at her office.

During the meeting, Ambassador Meles briefed CS Omamo about the tripartite negotiations on the GERD, Dr. Arkebe Eqoubay’s candidature as the Director General of the UNIDO, the Ethio-Sudan border issue, the situation in Tigray as well as the upcoming national elections in Ethiopia.

The Cabinet Secretary said Kenya is keen to deepen the traditional ties with Ethiopia and expressed her confidence that the parties would solve the GERD and border issues peacefully under the rubric of the pan-African philosophy of “African Solutions for African Problems”.

CS Omamo noted borders should be areas of cooperation rather than sources of confrontation between and among the contiguous States, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regarding the general elections, she expressed Kenya’s firm belief in the capacity of the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that the transition to democracy is undertaken smoothly.

As an African Union endorsed Ethiopian candidate for the seat of the Director General of the UNIDO, CS Omamo reiterated Kenya’s unwavering support to the candidature of Dr. Arkebe for the post.

She also expressed Kenya’s desire to take the longstanding diplomatic ties of Kenya and Ethiopia a notch higher through continued engagements and revitalization of the plethora of strategic bilateral agreements.

Ambassador Meles, on his part, reiterated Ethiopia’s firm commitment to the guiding principles and philosophies of the African Union – “African Solutions for African Problems”- to effect a peaceful resolution of the issues surrounding the GERD and the Ethio-Sudan border.

He said the Nile belongs to all riparian countries and that it requires to institute mechanisms geared towards to fair and equitable share of the waters to ensure that both Ethiopia and the lower riparian countries of Egypt and the Sudan benefit accordingly.

The border between Ethiopia and Sudan, Ambassador Meles noted, should not have been a source of conflict rather cooperation as the two countries share not only common borders but also common people since time immemorial.

The Ambassador underscored Ethiopia’s firm commitment to bring about a peaceful solution to the matter through negotiations once statusquo is restored.

In light of the upcoming national elections in Ethiopia due to take place in June 2021, he told CS Omamo that the GoE is working tirelessly to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner as this year’s elections mark a watershed moment in shaping Ethiopia’s future for the better .

Appreciating the Government of Kenya for its unwavering support to the Ethiopian candidate running for the post of the DG of UNIDO, the Ambassador noted that, Ethiopia and Kenya as strategic partners for over six decades need to work closely to further enhance their multifaceted diplomatic ties that have been chiefly characterized by stability and consistency, among others.