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Somalia: Ethiopia reopens its embassy in Mogadishu
Sun. May 27, 2007 08:49 am.- By Mohamed Abdi Farah. -
(SomaliNet) The Ethiopian government has reopened on Sunday its embassy in the Somalia capital Mogadishu for the first time in 16 years to restore the relationship between the two countries – as the Ethiopian foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin visits Somalia.
In the reopening ceremony, attended by officials of Ethiopia and Somalia governments and officials from the African peacekeepers from Uganda, has been held inside the embassy near the presidential palace.
Security was tightened very highly around the area of the embassy and the president compound as heavily armed Ethiopian, Ugandan and Somalia forces were deployed in all the streets in and out the area.
Somali interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed and his prime minister Ali Mohamed Gedi and other government officials were present at the ceremony.
“I am very happy to welcome you with this ceremony of the reopening of the Ethiopian embassy here in Mogadishu, Mr. President and Mr. prime minister, I am thanking you for honoring us by your presence in this historical occasion of reopening of the embassy after more than 16 years,” said Mr. Mesfin.
Mesfin, who had these days been in secret visit in Mogadishu, said that the reopening of the Ethiopian embassy symbolizes the returning of security and stability and also is a landmark in the history of the relations between Somalia and Ethiopia.
“Also the move is an end of the hostility between the two countries but the misunderstanding and mistrust of the two countries has nothing to do with the people of the two nations and as soon as the change of the political in regions, the leaders of the two countries came closer and started new chapter in their relations,” added Mesfin.
“These are countries which do not only share more than 2,000 km of common border but also share commonalities of people, religion and culture and these natural bounties of relationship can not be undermined by any change of government of either side of the border,” said Mesfin.
He also stated that the reopening of the embassy marks a milestone in the returning history of Somalia. “Somalia has been made stateless, a nation without a government for the last 16 years, also the Somalis have taken very difficulty undertaking in producing an institution that could bring an end the lawlessness and anarchy by establishing transitional federal institutions; the government and the parliament,”
Mr. Mesfin said that all Somalis and Ethiopians believe that they have only one primarily common enemy and that is poverty and under development.
“Our peace and security have been jeopardized by handful extremists who professed to be the holly men, the imams of religion which contradicts with the tentacles of Islam, those individual are criminals who committed crimes in Somalia and in the rest of the region and do not have moral, political, spiritual standing to preach in the name of Islam, to call for Jihad, because they don’t have that moral standing,”
Premier Ali Gedi also delivered a speech at the ceremony of the reopening of the Ethiopian embassy in Mogadishu praising Ethiopia for its role in defending the legacy of the Somali government.
“the people and the government of Ethiopia made ultimate sacrifice by giving their blood to the people of Somalia and this is the biggest sacrifice that somebody can do for another, we thank them and this is one of the achievement by Ethiopian forces,” said Gedi. “The blood shed by the Ethiopians was to bring primarily peace to Somalia and generally to bring peace for the whole region,”
Ethiopia is the second country which reopened its embassy in Mogadishu in 16 years.
News Category: Somalia
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