Month: July 2024

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s House of Peoples Representatives (HPR) is holding its 36th regular session in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The Prime Minister will address questions from members of the House in addition to his explanation about the federal government’s draft budget proposed by Council of Ministers last month.

Recall the Council of Ministers has proposed a close to 1 trillion Birr federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

The budget is prepared in tune with the Ten-year Prospective Development Plan and the 2017-2021 medium-term macroeconomic and fiscal frameworks of the country by considering the government’s financial capacity and expected revenues as well as expenses.

According to Ministry of Finance, the proposed budget prioritizes domestic funding sources and invests in productive sectors to boost productivity and economic output.

Poverty reduction and sustainable development are central to the budget plan, whose 92 percent of the source is expected to come from tax collection
.

The House of Peoples Representatives in its session today is also expected to approve this budget.

Diplomats of various countries and representatives of multilateral organizations based in Addis Ababa religious leaders and other invited guests are in attendance.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is responding to questions put to him by members of the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) in connection with the just ended performance report of the government.

Earlier, members of parliament forwarded questions to Prime Minister Abiy who is at the House to present the government’s performance report for the 2023/24 fiscal year.

Accordingly, he is reflecting on various questions, including the ongoing corridor development which is aimed at uplifting the image of the cities by meeting international smart city standards.

Members of the House also asked how the government is pursuing the corridor development in Addis Ababa city, including road infrastructure, with no resulting in significant displacement of communities and maintaining their livelihoods.

Furthermore, they forwarded questions on lack of peace and security, particularly in the Amhara and Oromia regions, cost of living, macroeconomic affairs, corruption, lack of good governance and development.

The
implementation of the Pretoria Peace agreement and its persistent challenge was also raised and call for the full execution of the deal as well as rehabilitation.

The members further commented and sought clarification on the Green Legacy Initiative, the emerging manufacturing capability and import substitution as well as development endeavors in wheat productivity and the country’s ambition to become a leading wheat producer.

The session is on live transmission by the Ethiopian Broadcast Corporation, Fana, and Addis Walta.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has expressed his government’s strong commitment to ensuring a durable peace in the country by paying all required sacrifices.

The Prime Minister responded to queries raised by members of the parliament today in various current affairs including peace and security, economic and social matters, among others.

Responding to questions regarding the recent peace and security development in the country, Abiy said the nation has faced prolonged conflict and war for a long time.

‘This must be stopped in our generation. It is time to end this cycle of violence,’ he stressed, highlighting the activities being carried out by the National Dialogue Commission with the objectives to resolving old age problems of Ethiopia and build a better generation for tomorrow.

The Prime Minister elaborated on the nature of conflicts and its devastating impacts that could lead into unprecedented negative consequences.

‘Starting a war is simple, but once it gets going, the effects are terrible.
So the sound of the gunshots is enough. We don’t want a war. Let’s be united. We have one common country,’ Abiy underlined.

The premier stressed the need to end the conflicts that had been inherited from generation to generation, through national dialogue.

In this regard, Abiy affirmed the strong commitment of the government to do whatever it costs to bring sustainable peace.

‘It is impossible now to grab political power through the barrel of the gun and war in Ethiopia,’ he noted.

Moreover, he highlighted the enormous efforts exerted by the government to address challenges of peace, emphasizing the importance of peaceful dialogue to ensure sustainable progress without resorting to conflict.

‘There is no price we have not paid to prevent war. For example, with Shene, we sent Aba Gedas and elders to the forest to beg; we sent investors with the TPLF and told them to stop the sound of bullets in Tigray and in Amhara region in the same way.’

He called on all active armed groups to bring their guns down and
come to a negotiation table affirming his government’s readiness to solve problems through negotiation and dialogue with any party.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: The Working Session of the First Ethiopia-South Sudan Joint Border Administrators meeting convened today on the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

The two-day meeting aims to exchange views on issues of development cooperation, joint infrastructure development and advancing people-to-people relations among others.

In his opening remarks, Director General for African Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Fesseha Shawel emphasized the need to scale up the relationship between the two brotherly countries to the next level by addressing cross-border issues.

Ambassador Antipas Nyok, Director of Borders and Foreigners at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Sudan, highlighted the importance of the deliberation to address issues of mutual concerns with the spirit of achieving mutual benefit.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underscored that the Pretoria Agreement marks a cultural shift towards peaceful conflict resolution in Ethiopia.

In the 36th regular session of the House of People’s Representatives today, Prime Minister Abiy said the agreement has resulted in permanent ceasefire and provision of services like banks, airlines, and telecoms.

The Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Federal Government of Ethiopia and TPLF was signed in Pretoria, South Africa, on the 2nd November, 2022.

According to the premier, the peaceful resolution of the conflict was a result of decision to end conflict with negotiation, and it is a great victory for the country.

‘We have started returning war-displaced citizens to their villages per the agreement-a crucial step,’ he noted.

Abiy appreciated the ongoing efforts to return internally displaced citizens to Raya and Tselemt areas.

He also mentioned that some quarters are attempting to obstruct the endeavors to return displaced people to thei
r homes, and urged them to play positive role.

‘The Pretoria Agreement needs to be carefully managed so that it does not backfire and no more people die. That is the way we are diligently working on. Most of the time, there are certainly forces that push toward conflict. We do not want conflict. We want to put our energy and time into development.’

The premier stressed that it is time to end this cycle of violence that Ethiopia has been facing for years.

PM Abiy noted that the reformist Government of Ethiopia has made a bold decision to establish a new political culture by inviting exiled political forces and armed groups from the outset.

“We reaffirm our commitment, and say; Let’s abandon extreme and polarized political practices. All should be the owners of the country… So, let’s work together.”

The government prioritizes peace and has been making significant efforts towards peaceful resolution.

The premier noted that sustainable progress depends on peaceful dialogue and resolving issues without res
orting to conflict.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Ethiopia’s diplomatic policy towards neighboring countries is based on collaboration and mutual development, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated.

Highlighting Ethiopia’s diplomatic priorities to the 36th regular session of the House of People’s Representatives today, he noted the government’s determination to resolve disputes with Sudan and bring internal peace to Sudan through negotiations.

The Sudanese people are peace-loving and they have strong social bonds with the Ethiopians, the premier said.

He also cited the strong relations with Ethiopia’s neighbors, mentioning their shared history, cultural ties and longstanding diplomatic relations.

According to him, the Ethiopian people and government are non-partisan to the parties involved in the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

“We are desirous that the conflict be resolved peacefully,” the PM said.

Also, Ethiopia could have reclaimed the Al-Fashqa area during this time of conflict in Sudan, but we are waiting patiently until the rivals in Sudan
resolve their differences and the country becomes peaceful, he elaborated.

In addition, Ethiopia has continued to export electricity to Sudan throughout the conflict without making a request for immediate payment, Abiy added.

With respect to relations with Somalia, he recalled the brotherly relations and cooperation with Somalia.

Ethiopia has paid dearly to peace and development of the neighboring state Somalia.

The PM recalled the sacrifices paid by Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia to ensure the peace and stability of the country.

Ethiopia not only respects Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but also strongly desires its peace, Abiy reiterated.

With regarding to the MoU signed with Somaliland, he underscored that the deal has been part of Ethiopia’s effort to get access to sea and should not be considered as violation of territorial integrity.

The premier stressed that Ethiopia’s quest for access to sea is legitimate and in line with its national interest.

Given its big economy, the country
should not be deprived of access to the sea, the PM underlined.

Furthermore, Ethiopia is ready to deal with Somalia on pertinent issues based on win-win approach and through negotiation.

The premier summed up that Ethiopia’s interest is to work together with neighboring countries Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, Somalia for regional cooperation, peace and mutual development.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency

Addis Ababa: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed noted that the national dialogue opens a great opportunity to build a better Ethiopia.

The House of People’s Representatives held the 36th regular session today.

During the session, the Prime Minister addressed questions posed from Members of Parliament.

Abiy explained that the government has been making extensive efforts to alleviate existing and current problems that have arisen since the day after the reform.

He expressed his belief that consultations are necessary to solve old social, political and historical problems and create consensus.

On the other hand, the Prime Minister explained that great efforts are underway to implementing transitional justice to address other lingering issues.

Open discussions and consultations are key to building a better tomorrow, he noted, further adding that national dialogue is especially crucial for parties lacking electoral mandate, as it allows for a wider range of voices to be heard, rather than elected ruling party.

Ethio
pia has been in the cycle of conflict and war for a long time, the Prime Minister said, stating that this story of killing should be stopped by this generation.

Therefore, we should work together to build a country that is better and more comfortable for its people through trust and communication, he stressed.

Moreover, the Prime Minister emphasized that it is impossible to hold power through conflict, war and coup d’état at this time.

He said that we must work together for the rest, giving respect to the fruit we fought for the change.

The extreme ideas in Ethiopia are hurting all of us and should be avoided and work for common solution, Abiy emphasized.

In Ethiopia, it is impossible to hold power through coup, he stressed, and therefore, we should work together to achieve our development dreams.

The PM reiterated that the Ethiopian government is ready for consultation with anyone.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency