Russia appreciates Ethiopia’s steps towards a peaceful resolution of conflict in the north

Addis Ababa, August 21, 2022 (FBC) – Deputy Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Ivan Nechaev, in the recent press briefing said that Moscow takes a positive view of the steps taken by the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) to settle the armed conflict in the Tigray region in the north of the country, including the unilateral declaration of a ceasefire, the lifting of the state of emergency and the establishment of a National Dialogue Commission and a government group to hold peace talks with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front.

He recalled that on August 17, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Demeke Mekonnen released a statement on the roadmap drawn up by the Ethiopian authorities to stabilise the situation in Tigray. 

“We welcome this initiative by Addis Ababa to launch a negotiation process as soon as possible aimed at achieving sustainable internal peace, normalising the humanitarian situation and restoring the social and economic infrastructure in the country.”

“We also unswervingly support the mediation efforts by the High Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission for the Horn of Africa, former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, to assist in the gradual resolution of the situation in Ethiopia in line with the “African solutions to African problems” principle,” the Deputy Spokesperson underlined.