Ethiopia’s new PM to address Ethiopians, diplomatic community Sunday

ADDIS ABABA, April 14 (Xinhua) — Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is currently addressing the various groups of the Ethiopian society, will meet 25,000 representatives of the Ethiopian community and the diplomatic community on Sunday.

The address will take place in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa on Sunday, Negeri Lencho, Ethiopia’s Government Communication Affairs Office Minister told local media on Saturday.

The meeting, which is scheduled to be held at the Millennium Hall in the capital, will bring together officials from federal and regional governments, religious leaders, representatives of women and youth, academia and experts from various disciplines, according to Lencho.

Ahmed’s first ever meeting with the public in the capital Addis Ababa is also to be joined by representatives of the diplomatic community that are based in Addis Ababa, which is home to more than 140 diplomatic missions and the headquarters of the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

The premier has been addressing Ethiopians residing outside the capital over the past week, in which he assured the public of unity and equality.

Ahmed’s first trip earlier this week took him to the conflict-hit Somali regional state, followed by a meeting with residents of Ambo town in Ethiopia’s largest Oromia regional state, a town that has been a hotbed of protests for the past few years.

He also hosted a dinner reception for the East African country’s opposition leaders on Thursday night, in which he promised to widen the democratic space as well as to work with opposition figures so as to bring better socioeconomic conditions for Ethiopia – a country that was rocked by incessant unrests and mass anti-government demonstrations since the second half of 2016.

As part of his third trip outside the capital, Ahmed also on Friday went to the northern city of Mekele, capital of Tigray regional state.