Friday, November 08, 2013
Foreign Minister Dr.Tedros attended a dinner
hosted by the Federal Government of Somalia at Villa Somalia on Tuesday
evening (November 5). The dinner was attended by President Hassan Sheikh
Mahmoud, Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon , the Speaker of the
Parliament Osman Jawari the Leader of Juba Interim Administration Ahmed
Mohammed "Madobe" and over hundred of the participants of the
Reconciliation and Peace Building Conference.
Dr.Tedros noted that the success of the negotiations and of the
implementation of the Addis Ababa Agreements heralded a new chapter in
Ethiopia and Somalia's history. He said "We had a dark history which
happened for the wrong reasons," adding that this was now behind us and
it was tiem to start anew. He said that as Ethiopia and Somalia's
destinies were intertwined, the only option was "to live in harmony and
prosper together." A prosperous peaceful Ethiopia, he said, was good for
Somalia and a prosperous peaceful Somalia was good for Ethiopia. Dr.
Tedros called for the two people and governments to work closely to
build a better future, emphasizing that as close neighbors their
similarities defined them rather than their differences.
He noted that the reconciliation Conference was going well and said
it would be concluded successfully, urging all parties to continue with
in the spirit of putting the interest of Somalia above and beyond any
personal and group interests. He reaffirmed Ethiopia's commitment to
help in the implementation of the Addis Ababa Agreement and the peace
process in Somalia in general in every possible way. President Mahmoud
hailed Dr. Tedros 's visit as historic, pointing out it was the first
time in 23 years that a foreign minister of Ethiopia had spent a night
in Mogadishu.
The President recalled that despite their long history it was only
during the past two decades that genuine cooperation and friendship had
blossomed between Somalia and Ethiopia. Speaker Jawari noted that the
past mistakes of previous governments had left scars but he added that
these were problems for governments and not for the peoples of Somalia
and Ethiopia. With the changes of government and the implementation of
right policies, relations were returning to normalcy and beyond.