The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has called all of its mission heads and ambassadors to foreign countries to return for a two-week consultation to discuss the country's 10-year strategic plan for foreign relations.

Beginning August 17, 2020, the consultation will be held inside the meeting hall adjacent to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Expected to be in place from 2020 to 2030, the foreign relations plan is one of the strategic documents drafted by the National Planning & Development Commission. During the past few weeks, the Commission has held 11 consecutive consultations on the plans that are designed for each sector.

The consultation will be attended by ambassadors and consulate generals from 66 missions and embassies across the six regions. Along with the ambassadors, the state ministers and all level director generals at the Ministry, as well as former ambassadors, will attend the meeting.

The consultation, which is expected to be chaired by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), is being held at a time when the standoff between Ethiopia and Egypt has grown tense in relation to the filling and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Admitting the summer season is usually when diplomats are called for an annual seminar, Dina Mufti, the spokesperson at the Ministry, declined to confirm the agenda and the meeting itself.

During the seminars, the ambassadors from the six regions, namely neighbouring countries, Asia, Africa, the United States, the Middle East and Europe, will present annual reports along with their new year's plan, which is followed by discussions and group work. The meetings are concluded after mission heads and ambassadors are given focus areas and directions.

However, this year's annual meeting will focus on deliberating on the new foreign relations strategic plan that the country will follow in the coming decade.

A foreign policy expert who asked to remain anonymous said that it is very difficult to discuss a strategic plan without having a foreign policy or guidelines in place.

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had revised the foreign relations policy that replaced the previous two-decade-old document. The revised policy emphasises economic diplomacy and regional integration. It also revised some articles about Eritrea following the reconciliation of the two countries. It was planned to replace the former Foreign Affairs & National Security Policy & Strategy that was adopted in 2002.