By Eric Ojo
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mme Catherine Colonna and her counterpart, the German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Annalena Baerbock will arrive Ethiopia today for a joint peace mission.
This Franco-German visit, which will take place a few days ahead of the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, which set the seal on France and Germany’s historic reconciliation, will signal the desire of the two countries to cooperate very closely on the major international issues, promoting peace and in support of the actions of the United Nations and multilateral organizations, particularly in Africa.
Mme Colonna and Ms. Baerbock will be received by President Sahle-Work Zewde and talk to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and representatives of the Ethiopian Government.
The ministers will express the two countries’ joint support for the peace plan concluded in Pretoria in November 2022. According to a statement made available to the media on Wednesday by the French Government, they will signal our desire to contribute to the stabilization and reconstruction of the regions affected by the conflict and to Ethiopia’s economic recovery.
“Mme Colonna and Ms Baerbock will also recall that our two countries, along with all their European partners, give priority to the fight against impunity and to compensation for all the victims affected by the conflict”, the statement said.
During their visit, the ministers will meet the African Union Commission and discuss international and regional issues of mutual interest. They will talk about the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the partnership between the European Union and the African Union, and the question of African countries’ representation in multilateral institutions.
“In line with the priority, we are giving to the fight against global food insecurity, increased by Russia’s war against Ukraine, Ms Baerbock and Mme Colonna will travel together to the World Food Programme headquarters in Adama (Oromia) alongside the Ukrainian chargé d’affaires, Mr Oleksandr Zub”, the statement added.
The ministers will also signal the European countries’ solidarity with the whole Ethiopian population, which is suffering from food insecurity, in particular in the areas affected by the conflict.
In addition, they will discuss the French-German initiative announced in September 2022 to support the distribution of 50,000 tonnes of grain donated by Ukraine to Ethiopia and Somalia. France and Germany each provided €14 million to ensure the transport of the cargo to Somalia, where it arrived on 29 December, and to Ethiopia.