My Opinion | Jun 08,2024
A handshake between Foreign Minister Taye Atsqeselassie and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, seems to have concluded a meeting in Riyadh last week. The backdrop to this meeting includes Ethiopia's ongoing efforts to repatriate its citizens from Saudi Arabia, a process that has been in motion since 2018. In April, Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry announced plans to repatriate around 70,000 people, continuing efforts to return "citizens who are in a difficult situation." According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), more than half of the 750,000 Ethiopians residing in Saudi Arabia entered the country unlawfully.
Saudi Arabia is known for its strict immigration rules, and the hardships Ethiopian migrants face have been severe. A report from Human Rights Watch in August 2023 disclosed that Saudi border guards killed at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers trying to cross the Yemen-Saudi border between March 2022 and June 2023. Taye's visit to Saudi Arabia is seen as part of a broader strategic move to diversify Ethiopia's international alliances and fortify ties with the Gulf countries. During his trip, Taye met with Hassan Moejeb Alhwaizy, the board chairperson of the Federation of Saudi Chambers (FSC). Last week's visit followed a high-level delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh, who discussed bilateral cooperation with Prince Faisal about a month and a half ago.
The winds of diplomacy under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's administration appear to be shifting, forging new connections and reinforcing existing ones in the Gulf region.
PUBLISHED ON
May 25,2024 [ VOL
25 , NO
1256]
My Opinion | Jun 08,2024
My Opinion | Dec 16,2023
Fortune News | Feb 17,2024
Life Matters | Nov 11,2023
Editorial | Jan 07,2024
My Opinion | Oct 14,2023
Radar | Aug 26,2023
Agenda | Aug 03,2019
My Opinion | May 25,2024
Viewpoints | Sep 08,2024
Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW
Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...
May 17 , 2025
Ethiopia pours more than three billion Birr a year into academic research, yet too mu...
May 10 , 2025
Federal legislators recently summoned Shiferaw Teklemariam (PhD), head of the Disaste...
May 3 , 2025
Pensioners have learned, rather painfully, the gulf between a figure on a passbook an...
Apr 26 , 2025
Benjamin Franklin famously quipped that “nothing is certain but death and taxes....
Loading your updates...