Ethiopia Hopes Russia, Ukraine Would Find Peaceful Alternatives to Conflict, Says Spokesperson
Ethiopia hopes that Russia, Ukraine and all other concerned parties would find peaceful alternatives to the current situation, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Briefing the media, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dina Mufti said Ethiopia believes that the ramifications of Russia-Ukraine conflict would be severe.
With this view, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a statement that “we all are interdependent wherever we live and a problem that occurs at one corner of the world affects the other corner, particularly vulnerable people,” Dina recalled.
He added that this conflict has a unique feature the world had experienced in various wars, including the Second World War.
These forces are armed with nuclear weapons and that would cause massive devastation the world had not experienced, the spokesperson underlined.
“Perhaps there are many conflicts that we know around the world and our region. What distinguishes this conflict from the other conflicts like World War II is the identity of the forces behind it. These forces are armed with nuclear weapons.”
According to him, “no-one will win a nuclear war as all parties will be losers” and there is only mutually assured destruction.
That is why Ethiopia is urging all parties to exercise restraint in the Ukraine crisis, Dina noted, adding that “Ethiopia is not an island. So, the Russia-Ukraine situation, just like the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns us because the issue has the potential to cause political and economic upheavals. That is why we believe that both sides have to resolve this conflict peacefully.”
Last week the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and many countries are on the same side in this regard, while others are on the opposite side of the aisle.
Ethiopia did not cast its vote and the decision is consistent with “our nonalignment policy,” the spokesperson explained.
Speaking on the current bilateral ties between Ethiopia and the United States of America, he pointed out that deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Demeke Mekonnen welcomed Ambassador Tracey Ann Jacobson, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States of America to Ethiopia, and expressed Ethiopia’s keen interest to cement bilateral relations with the country.
On her part, the charge thanked the deputy prime minister and foreign minister for the briefing and expressed her government’s concerns over human rights and humanitarian issues related to the conflict in the northern part of the country, it was learned.
She also expressed interest in further strengthening the relationship between Ethiopia and the United States.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency