By: TESFA-ALEM TEKLE
What you need to know:
- The ambassador made the call on Sunday during an event hosted by the Ethiopian Embassy in Kampala to officially welcome her as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Uganda.
Ethiopia’s new Ambassador to Uganda Etsegenet Bezabih has called on Ethiopians in Uganda to join the upcoming Africa Day 2023 celebrations which Uganda will host.
The ambassador made the call on Sunday during an event hosted by the Ethiopian Embassy in Kampala to officially welcome her as the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia to Uganda.
The Sunday event was also meant to introduce her and new staff to representatives of various Diaspora Associations based in Uganda.
At the occasion, the diplomat also called on Ethiopians residing in Uganda to extend their support for the “Dine for Generation” Initiative which aims to boost tourism in Ethiopia.
Ambassador Etsegenet warmly welcomed the guests and delivered an opening remark following the Religious Leaders’ Invocation and the Tour of Duty’s best wishes.
She expressed her delight and gratitude for the warm family welcome and hospitality she received from the airport to her residence on April 19, 2023, when she arrived in Uganda.
Cherishing the cordial relations that the community has had with the Embassy in the past, the Ambassador stated that the favorable responses from the community to the Embassy’s calls on various national issues had been recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
She said that she is fortunate to be appointed as Ethiopian Ambassador to Uganda.
She also introduced new diplomats from the embassy and stated her sincere belief in the current coordinators’ willingness to strengthen the Embassy’s and the community’s solid family relations.
Ambassador Etsgenet urged the Association Representatives to take part in the celebration of Africa Day, which the Group of the African Ambassadors accredited to Uganda will host on May 25, 2023.
Africa Day is an annual celebration of the achievements and potential of the African continent which is celebrated in Africa and countries around the world.
Its date – May 25 – commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the current African Union. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of its founding charter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
She further forwarded her calls to the Association to support the Embassy’s ongoing national call to raise funds for the “Dine for Generation” Initiatives, which aim at developing eight more Ethiopian tourism destinations.
Last month, during her welcome reception organized by the Ethiopian Embassy at the ambassadorial residence in Kololo, the new ambassador to Uganda, Etsegenet Bezabih Yimenu promised to do her level best to strengthen diplomatic ties between Uganda and Ethiopia.
“Because after a long time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ethiopia), this is the upper position that I get and I am excited about it. So, I’m so happy and honored to be here in this country,” she said.
The new ambassador then acknowledged that the diplomatic ties between Kampala and Addis Ababa are on a growth path, and promised to scale it up.
She further pledged to strengthen the people-to-people ties between the two East African countries saying the two countries share a rich history together.
“I promise to do a little more to my ability to strengthen this more, and also, I want to work a little more on people to people, not only government to government,”
She added, “So, we should do more because.. We (Uganda and Ethiopia) share a lot of things not only economically and politically, but also in history and culture.” So, we have to bring those people together. We have to work a little more on that. So, I’m going to promise you on that.”
Yimenu, who has previously served as Director General of Women, Children and Youth Affairs at Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, succeeds Ambassador Alemtsehay Meseret whose four-year tenure in Uganda ended last year.
(Source: Daily Monitor)
