Ethiopia Pursuing Soft Power Diplomacy to Strengthen Its Good Relations with Other Countries: Amb. Dina
Ethiopia is following soft power diplomacy extensively to strengthen its good relations with other countries, Public Diplomacy Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dina Mufti said.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Dina said Ethiopia is working in many ways to strengthen its multilateral diplomatic relations with countries around the world.
The ambassador stated that beyond political relations and economic cooperation, Ethiopia is doing strong activities in many ways especially in the area of soft power diplomacy.
Dina reminded that Ethiopia has had good relations with various countries of the world since ancient times and it has continued to strengthen its cooperation in many sectors.
In this regard, Ethiopia is following soft power diplomacy, which does not require much economic and financial power but is based on national needs, he said.
He pointed out that since Ethiopia is ancient country with its own alphabet, many heritages, history, music, culture and values, soft power diplomacy will be an additional capacity.
Therefore, Ambassador Dina mentioned that soft power diplomacy is not only important for building the image of the country but also for safeguarding the national interest.
“Ethiopia’s soft power needs to be demonstrated. Ethiopia’s soft power refers to Ethiopia’s image, such as Ethiopia’s long history of independence, the kindness of Ethiopian people, hospitality, Ethiopian costumes, Ethiopian food, Ethiopian beautiful cultures, and beautiful arts. All these need to be sold all over the world.”
Considering the number of Ethiopians around the world, the possibility of further registering achievements will become stronger and stronger, Dina noted.
He mentioned that following the war in the northern part of the country, some western countries are trying to put undue pressure on Ethiopia , adding that a lot of diplomatic efforts are needed to explain the current situation and the reality.
The ambassador recalled that Ethiopians, Ethiopians origin diaspora and Ethiopian friends all over the world have made impressive efforts in explaining the realities of Ethiopia through the “No More” movement and other campaigns—which have brought about results and are admirable.
“When (Ethiopia’s) survival operation was carried, the activities being undertaken under the theme: ‘No More’, were part of the operation. These were united activities where Ethiopians and friends of Ethiopian descent have done together. That was effective. They were able to overcome the pressure on Ethiopia. The movements were some how successful in creating awareness and understanding about the true cause of Ethiopia among the international community thereby reversing the unwanted imposition at that time.”
According to Dina, such diplomatic activities will be strengthened and sustained to make Ethiopia a preferred country in the years ahead.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency