MFAE
September 3, 2019
Published on September 2, 2019
The Annual Meeting of Ambassadors, Heads of Missions & Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia kicked off today at Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa. The meeting will be held from 2-6 September 2019 under the theme of “Institutional Reform for Diplomatic Excellence”.
State Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the FDRE, H.E. Mrs. Hirut Zemene, in her opening remark noted that the year was marked by many successful events that were crucial to the country and the region. She also underscored that this meeting would discuss major activities and outcomes of the institution and would set directions for next year’s plan.
Assessing the performance of last year’s performance, the participants will review the strategic goals and key programs of the next fiscal year. They will also consult on the draft Foreign Relations Policy document and current regional issues.
At the end of the meeting, H.E. Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed, is expected to provide guidelines on the way forward.
Join the conversation. Like borkena on Facebook and get Ethiopian News updates regularly. As well, you may get Ethiopia News by following us on twitter @zborkena
This is to all ambassadors & heads of missions of the old country in every country in the West, Latin America and Asia!!!
Every time I went to trade shows and other global symposiums with countless companies and many nations promote their products and countries, I used to burn inside for not finding one person talking about the capabilities and the fringe benefits of the old country. Every time I had to travel to Donguan area and Taiwan beginning the late 1970’s and early 1980’s and teach every Chinese or Taiwanese how to master the skills of running mfg equipment, I used to be overwhelmed with anger for not being able to do that to my own dear old countrymen/women. I have not been to trade shows here in the USA lately but I still get their magazines and reminders. I always browse or inquire t see if there is at least one entity from the old country but so far not satisfactory or to no avail.
One cardinal lesson we should grab from the experiences of Hong Kong, Taiwan and even the mainland China is their common shared persistence in knocking on companies’ doors with their brochures and promotions. They were unleashing their trade and economic delegations in every Western country pushing their capabilities. My earliest encounter with such delegations was from Hong Kong in the late 1970’s. We were doing business with Hong Companies already by then but this time they were promoting the capabilities and hog’s heaven opportunities with the new ‘Special Economic Zone’ launched by the commies in Beijing. They came back in 1982 with the same mission. This time it was utter success for them.
Our old country should do the same and what an opportune time it is now to do that!!! Set up delegates with well qualified candidates who will be able to express their ideas and what is in the promotional brochures fluently and eloquently. I remember most of the delegation from Hong Kong were those educated in the west with British accents but came well prepared. They had engineers and business scholars among them. Yes such trips must have cost them quite a bit of money but it had paid off in the long run. Just look at every one of them today even though HK is not in its best shape politically. South Koreans, Malaysians and Singaporeans used to do that a lot. When they heard about coming trade shows they jumped on it!! When the internet began they jumped on it. Their embassy and trade mission websites were loaded with crucial investment and sourcing material you need. Then I started seeing new comers like Turkey in early 2000’s. But our embassies were in an extended slumber until recently. The layout of the current website (including the content and message) of the Embassy in DC is very encouraging but how many companies in the USA know about it?
I say hit the pavement until your shoe soles wear out promoting the capabilities of the old country. And you can’t go around with this very heavy missions with news of factories being torched down. All Western company executives watch news and they would know about such news of destructive behavior days before your arrive. They will not confront you with that but they will make fun of you after you leave. The government over there should treat such ruffian behavior as treason. Let me put it to you this way. Ibsa, others ‘liberators’ like him and that new punk hiding and wreaking havoc in western part of the old will never be able to ‘liberate’ Oromia with their peaceful or violent form of struggle. They may be able to carve out a territory to call it their own fiefdom as you can see north and west of you but they will never be able to do that where the rights of the individual are protected by and above the law of the land. But factories will. Factories will drag women out of bondage from homes enabling them to be the bread makers of their families giving them the power to have a say in the affairs at home. The youth will have no time for bovine scatology peddling bigots.
You get the idea. If you know it and are doing a few things about it, then blessings!!! Will there be booths at coming trade shows here in the USA and Europe? If there are any please list them on the Embassy website front page and I promise you I will be making phone calls to companies I know here and everywhere. But there should not be single news about factories torched by misguided youth. None whatsoever! Otherwise, we might as well forget about the whole thing and hand over that glorious country, that gem of the colored to the bigots now roaming every region.
In conclusion, I am not trying to tell you what you may already know. I am not a business or financial expert and expect most of you are. I am just trying to get my long held feeling off my chest. What you are doing is a sacred mission and Godspeed!!!!
One more opinion I may add to my previous comment.
I hope and pray that any brochure or other promotional documents will have no mention of that so-called ‘Revolutionary Democracy’ or ‘ Developmental State Democracy’ snake oil nonsense. Phrases borrowed from the debunked textbooks of that demonic Marxism/Leninism/Maoism MUST be expurgated from the tongues of those in charge/delegated of promoting the capabilities of the old country. ‘Class Struggle’? Don’t even think about it. Leave that to the day dreaming ‘liberation front’ leaders and those students of this satanic philosophy who are now busy stealing goats from people they don’t like.
I am done!!! At least for now!!!
Well put Ittu…
To the comments above, I would like to add,
1. Each of the Ambassadors in their assigned countries must employ well trained, competent employees capable of answering phones, and knowledgeable about their duties and responsibilities. Often times, they’re incompetent, uncooperative, don’t understand the issues well,and one ends leaving with more frustration than before.
2. Please fix the phone problems…The Ethiopian Embassy in Wash. and its consulate office in LA, is a disaster. Many options are available on their phone lines, but none seem to work properly, except the voice message which one is directed to without even selecting the option. The system must be tested and retested by internal staff preferably by the Ambassador or his/her deputy if the instructions are clear and work accordingly.
3. Please check emails and voice messages, and respond promptly. I left message to the consulate office in LA about 8 months ago, and it has not been returned to this day. In fact the consulate office seems a ghost office. Also sent email to Wash office in August 2018, shortly after PM Abiye’s visit, and to date no response.
4. The number one mission, as mentioned by the PM and rightly so should be to be problem solvers…ready to assist their nationals.
5. The embassies should participate in community events…such as honoring outstanding academic achievers in the local and regional schools of all levels.
Obbo Melaku,
Count me in!!! Let’s do that!!!
For the old country, considering all kinds of qutrubs running around in every nook and cranny spewing their poison, it’s all hands on deck!!! Somehow, someway, the hapless and agitated youth should be yanked away from these heathens and an all out industrialization is the only way to do it peacefully. Those bigots know that very well and that was why they were marching certain vagabond elements among their blind followers to torch factories before. You lead the able-bodied into factories two major things will happen for the first time in his/her life. First, he/she will be employed making money with sweat and hard work which give them a sense of somebody-ness and pride. Every day they go to work and bring the dough home to their waiting families. Second, the youth will have no time to listen to poisonous and worthless diatribes by the bigots around him. Now she/he knows firsthand how things are made which enable her/him to answer questions of how, what and why by him/herself. Industrialization has many fringe benefits. It transforms the citizens’ thought process and psyche making them sophisticated enough to see thru every hideous scheme thrown at them. Those hate groups and individuals know that very, very well. They are sophisticated enough from the 2nd hand education and panhandled masters and PHD’s they received from ‘philanthropist’ universities including the ‘ivy’ ones.
Dear countryman,
Let you and I do this. We should check every incoming trade show and symposium/convention and if we don’t find any mention about the old country let’s call out the nearest embassy/consulate and shame them!!! If they claim they lack the monetary and manpower resources that would be hogwash. They are spending thousands of dollars providing a 24-hours security and expensive hotel rooms for those who frown at the site of factories. How about cutting that back and use that for such blessed mission. There must be off-to-the-races on this one.
Beginning January 1, 2020(may be slightly sooner) I will be scouring every trade show and symposium/convention. If I find the word Ethiopia, I swear my late mother, I swear my late father(who are both in heaven) that I will be calling all the companies and other participants to swing by and pay a visit to the old country’s booth. Like I said many times before, there should/shall not be any of such news of factories being torched down by vagabonds. Not one!!! Such destructive behavior should warrant crime of treason both on the perpetrators and those who agitated them. I will shed no tears for what be done to them by the government. Factories and similar business settings including their vehicles MUST be protected at any cost. The government MUST mean that and show it is so serious about it. ‘I wouldn’t do that just because the arsonists are my own Oromos or Amharas or Tigres or Somalis and so on’ will be like being one of the hoodlums themselves.
I am not sure if you have the chance factories in the mainland China. At the gate you will be greeted by security guards in military uniforms. I still have photos I took with them, to their discomfort I may add. They may not be brandishing their AK47’s but I guarantee you they have that close by. I am not suggesting the same arrangement for the old country but potential destructive mobs near and afar should be reminded that it would be lethally foolish mistake for them to even think about that. The life of the old country is on the balance and an all out industrialization is the only way out of the current potentially destructive peat bog. Let’s keep praying that all this will happen with the Blessings of The Almighty Our Creator. Insha’Allah!!!!
.
Please read that as: I am not sure if you had the chance to visit factories in the …..
One more reminder and urging I want to make for those us who have lived here in the USA and become its citizens is to run for office at every level and become members of the congress just like others have done already. Just look at what the first thing the current member of congress with an Eritrean heritage did. When the democratic caucus decided to send a fact finding delegation to Africa who is a better candidate than him? Right? And the first pit stop, you may ask? It was Asmara, Piccola Roma or Secondo Roma!!! He did not disappoint either due to the fact they were treated there as if they were not in Africa but rather at small town in Italy. It was the first stop y’all!!! You will never hear Resolution this or that being tossed around by the congress. I really commend him for that. It is a feat very hard to accomplish but he did it!!! Even though members of the congress have had earful of stories of people in containers for years. He is and will be right there to debunk every such ‘false and unsubstantiated’ allegation!!! ‘If we do this or that such terrible will happen’ scare tactics, you know!!!
So all of you masters and PHD’s among us wake up and run for offices but working for the good of the people that elect you.