
Fortune News | Sep 14,2019
Jul 27 , 2019
The administration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) is reviewing the current foreign policy of the country, in place since the days of Meles Zenawi. Unlike his predecessor, he has assembled a group of foreign affairs punditocrats, with clear instruction to separate the national security element from the document that has guided the nation's army of diplomats since the mid-2000s, gossip disclosed.
The punditocrats have presented their first work to a public discussion held at the Hilton a couple of weeks ago. They had presented it as a guide that will address regional geopolitical matters, if not the ever-evolving dynamic in the broader Red Sea arena. The wise men of foreign affairs, the absence of a single female in whose company makes it a boys' club, could be right on the regional focus they want to provide in the document, according to gossip.
For the traditional allies of Ethiopia in the Greater Horn of Africa, they see many of its diplomats as unguided planes with hardly a sense of direction, gossip observed. This could perhaps be as a result of volatility at the top leadership Menelik II Avenue has been going through over the past eight years. While one person - Seyoum Mesfin - had served the Ministry for two decades, the last decade has seen a change of guard four times.
The incumbent, Gedu Andargachew, appears to be in the mood to take his time to learn the craft of foreign relations and policies. And he has a lot on his plate; and never mind that he was absent from his bosses visit in Asmara last week. He will have to ensure Eritrea's strongman, Issayas Afeworqi, will have to proceed with the many proposals Ethiopia tabled to move forward in the rapprochement and normalisation between the two countries, says gossip.
But first, he will have to persuade the Eritrean government to accept the credentials of Ethiopia's ambassador in Asmara, Redwan Hussien, claims gossip. To the frustration of the latter, Ethiopia's envoy to Eritrea cannot carry on his responsibilities for lack of diplomatic credentials, gossip disclosed.
Djibouti is another neighbour which is following Abiy's Ethiopia under watchful eyes, claims gossip. Several issues make its leaders wary, including Ethiopia's desire to renegotiate the terms of a port utilisation agreement, according to gossip. Ethiopia's posturing in Somalia, where Abiy administration's nod to send troops outside of AMISOM's platform created a grave concern not only to Djibouti but also down south to the authorities in Kenya, claims gossip.
The Kenyans for their part are locked in a feud with their Somalian neighbours over a disputed marine territory. Both have gone to the international court of arbitration seeking justice, despite Prime Minister Abiy's effort in mediation. His country has a standing military pact with Kenya signed in the mid-1960s, between Emperor Hailesellasie and the father of the current Kenyan President, Kenyatta.
President Kenyatta now desperately wants to see his country elected to the non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). His diplomats are busy lobbying countries, including Ethiopia, to support their country's bid. The trouble for Prime Minister Abiy's administration is that one of the three African non-permanent member seats, reserved for the Eastern African region for the 2021-2022 term, is equally contested by Djibouti.
The election is set to be held during the UN General Assembly's 74th session scheduled for September of this year. Both Djibouti and Kenya will fight to secure the support of Ethiopia, not only on its own accord, but also in its stature and influence at the African Union (AU) whose support to either one is indispensable for the success of each candidate, claims gossip.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 27,2019 [ VOL
20 , NO
1004]
Fortune News | Sep 14,2019
Fortune News | Jun 01,2019
Fortune News | Jun 12,2021
Fortune News | Apr 22,2022
Editorial | Feb 24,2024
Viewpoints | Oct 22,2022
Fortune News | Dec 15,2024
Editorial | Oct 31,2020
Viewpoints | Feb 23,2019
Radar | Feb 17,2024
Photo Gallery | 153820 Views | May 06,2019
Photo Gallery | 144058 Views | Apr 26,2019
My Opinion | 134837 Views | Aug 14,2021
Photo Gallery | 132241 Views | Oct 06,2021
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...
Sep 6 , 2025
The dawn of a new year is more than a simple turning of the calendar. It is a moment...
Aug 30 , 2025
For Germans, Otto von Bismarck is first remembered as the architect of a unified nati...
Aug 23 , 2025
Banks have a new obsession. After decades chasing deposits and, more recently, digita...
Aug 16 , 2025
A decade ago, a case in the United States (US) jolted Wall Street. An ambulance opera...
Sep 7 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
Addis Abeba's sixth public land lease auctions after a five-year pause delivered mixe...
Sep 7 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
Brook Taye (PhD), the chief executive of the Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is...
Sep 7 , 2025 . By BEZAWIT HULUAGER
For decades, Shemiz Tera in the Addis Ketema District of Atena tera has been a thrivi...
Sep 7 , 2025 . By NAHOM AYELE
A dream of affordable homeownership has dissolved into a courtroom showdown for hundr...