Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed opened the week-long annual Ambassadors meeting held with the leadership of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director Generals, Ambassadors and diplomats. The discussions cover the country’s ongoing reform, the impact on foreign policy, the progress and challenges in responding to contemporary global issues of national interest, enhancement of economic diplomacy, Diaspora engagement, the reforms within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and considerations of lessons learned in the last year.
The Prime Minister emphasized that Diplomacy was one pillar of economic development; it was the vital bedrock for socio-economic progress. He said: “Our Ambassadors and diplomats are the face and soul of Ethiopia abroad. An Ambassador should relentlessly promote Ethiopia abroad for national gain, stimulate a positive country image, mobilize investment, tourism and better engage the Diaspora for national dialogue.” He said, “We want the Foreign Ministry to become a catalyst for economic development, to maintain the positive country image and most importantly trigger citizen-centered diplomacy in our bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomatic activity nexus.”
Dr. Abiy commended the Ambassadors for their tireless effort and hard work over the years abroad, concomitantly stressing the importance of the embassies playing a much more active role in promoting investment, and informing and updating potential investors on investment opportunities, trade, and tourism sectors. He stressed the importance of Ethiopian diplomacy in the future focusing on safeguarding the rights and interests of Ethiopian nationals abroad, concentrating on relations with immediate neighbors and on the promotion of integration within the Horn of Africa.
The Prime Minister also gave a Certificate of Appreciation to Africa’s longest serving diplomat, Ambassador Konjit Sine-Giorgis in recognition of her outstanding and invaluable contribution to Ethiopia’s foreign policy. Ambassador Konjit started her career in 1962, a year before the establishment of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU) and held numerous positions serving as an ambassador in Austria, Egypt, Israel and Canada as well as in Ethiopia missions in New York, Vienna and Geneva and to the OAU, the AU and UNECA.
