Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, affirmed that the people of the Tigray region aspire to peace and development, and desire to overcome their current suffering and build their future through hard work and self-reliance, stressing that the people of the region love peace and seek cooperation and common growth with the rest of the components of the Ethiopian people.
In his speech before the tenth regular session of the fifth year of the sixth session of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, Abiy Ahmed said:
The problem of Tigray was never the desire of its people, but rather the absence of their actual role in the political arena, making it clear that the region remained for a long time merely an arena over which others moved instead of being active in shaping its future. He added:
“The people of Tigray were not political players, they were just a platform on which others played their roles. The platform does nothing itself, but action is done on top of it.”
The Ethiopian Prime Minister stressed that transforming Tigray into a real actor requires a radical change in political thinking, calling for the adoption of a new political mentality within the region, and the transition of politicians there from the role of “supporting actors” to “main actors” capable of making decisions and bearing responsibility.
In a related context, Abiy Ahmed touched on the issue of Wolkit, stressing that the residents of the region have the full right to live in peace, which is an established principle of the federal government. He acknowledged the existence of competing demands for years between the Amhara and Tigray regions regarding the region, but stressed that the government’s position is clear, which is that there is no displacement of any citizen, and the need for those who were displaced to return to their homes, and to enable them to manage their affairs themselves and resolve their issues without external interference. He stressed that no one has the right to make decisions on behalf of the residents of the region.
On a broader scale, the Prime Minister spoke about the historical challenges facing Ethiopia, considering that the absence of peace is due to three main reasons, the first of which is the chronic reliance on force alone to resolve disputes, the second of which is the continuation of ancient traditions of betrayal, and the third of which is the constant fear of the country’s opponents that Ethiopia will grow and achieve prosperity.
Regarding the Horn of Africa, Abiy Ahmed described the region as an entity that had been “patched” to prevent its disintegration, despite the deep cultural and linguistic ties that unite its people, noting that the intense competition and external interference, especially in the issue of shared waters, turned what should have been an area of cooperation into a hotbed of conflict. He stressed that great efforts are currently being made to address these challenges, expressing his confidence in their success.
Internally, the Prime Minister stressed that the current generation of Ethiopians is required to build the state through dialogue, not wars, explaining that the National Dialogue Committee has set basic agendas and achieved remarkable progress, and that the next stage will witness an expansion of the circle of participants in in-depth discussions, in light of a clear convergence between the aspirations and interests of Ethiopians.
Regarding the elections, Abiy Ahmed stressed that the government is working to ensure that they are peaceful, fair, inclusive, and better than previous ones, calling for them to be judged by their results. He expressed his confidence that the next parliament will be a space in which diverse voices will be heard, and that all forces participating in the electoral process will reap its benefits.
The Prime Minister concluded his statements by referring to indicators of economic and service transformation, pointing out that in just six months, Ethiopian Airlines transported 10.7 million passengers, compared to 8 million annually at the beginning of the reform. The number of mobile phone users also increased from 37 million to 97 million, and the number of users of mobile payment services reached 58 million, with fifth generation services expected to reach 30 cities soon, considering that these results are the result of focused policies and ongoing reforms.
