Prince Ambassador

One for all

[Sirak Bahlbi @SirakBahlbi]

Meles Zenawi on Assab: A 15-Minute Response Worth Listening To

Here is a 15-minute response by Meles Zenawi when he was asked about seizing #Assab by force. Translating verbatim his detailed answer on #Ethiopia’s access to the sea would be time consuming, but one thing is clear: Meles was a far more sophisticated, capable and conniving leader than the political pygmy Abiy Ahmed Ali. The comparison is not even close.

Here are some of the key points Meles raised in this clip.

But first, let us address Abiy’s accusation that his predecessor, Meles Zenawi, left absolutely no documents explaining how #Eritrea gained independence and how #Ethiopia supposedly lost its “ports”.

In reality, Meles gave this issue considerable thought. He engaged international maritime lawyers and experts to explore the legal avenues through which Ethiopia could secure access to the sea. He also invited #Ethiopian and international legal experts to examine whether there were any weaknesses in the treaties Emperor Menelik II signed with #Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. Extensive research was conducted, drawing on both Ethiopian and international expertise.

By contrast, according to Abiy, he appears to have confined himself to putting his fantasies on paper in his book Medemer. I have yet to encounter a single person who has actually read it.

Meles Zenawi’s key points on Assab

1. Seizing Assab by force would make Ethiopia an international pariah.

If Ethiopia were to invade Eritrea and occupy #Assab, the international community would treat Ethiopia as a pariah state. Under those circumstances, Ethiopia would not be able to use the port effectively.

2. Ethiopia’s international reputation.

Accourding to Melles, Ethiopia has established a reputation as a country that respects international law, unlike some other countries in the region. We must protect that reputation rather than jeopardise it through reckless actions such us occupying Assab.

3. Controlling Assab would not guarantee regional peace or stability.

Ethiopia could not guarantee peace and stability in the region or the Red Sea. Whatever economic or strategic gains Ethiopia might obtain from owning the port would be negated by the instability and war that such an action could trigger.

4. The loose-loose strategic reason for not using Assab at the time.

Melles decided not to use Assab because doing so would benefit the Eritrean government more than Ethiopia. Instead, we would wait and allow time to work in our favour, ensuring that Eritrea continued to suffer from the loss of revenue associated with the port. [The audience applauded at this point]

5. International treaties must be respected by successive governments.

Melles said, the treaties Emperor Menelik II signed in 1900, 1902 and 1908 must be respected by every subsequent #Ethiopian government. Likewise, treaties signed by our government must be respected by our successors. That is how international law works.

Ethiopia was also a founding signatory of the #African Union’s founding charter and is committed to its principles.

Meles specifically referred to the 1908 treaty, which stipulated that the boundary between Eritrea and Ethiopia ran parallel to the coast, 60 kilometres inland. If the wording of that treaty could provide a legal basis for Ethiopia to claim Assab, then the matter could be tested in a court of law.

Within this international legal framework, we will do everything possible to protect Ethiopia’s national interests. We have already engaged international legal experts to examine the issue. We have also invited Ethiopian legal experts and other professionals to contribute. Academics at Addis Ababa University have produced research papers and submitted their findings. Anyone else willing to contribute to this work would be welcome.

Ultimately, however, the deciding factor must be the law. The law provides a forum in which Ethiopia can present its case and either win or lose on its merits. We cannot rewrite international law to suit our own outlook or beliefs.

6. The question about the Eritrean #Afars wanting to be Ethiopians?

Another question concerns the claim that the people living around Assab want to be Ethiopians. Meles said he had no way of knowing what those people would choose: to be Eritrean, Ethiopian, both, or something else. He had seen no evidence to support the claim.

However, during the 1952 referendum in Eritrea, the Afar people did not demonstrate any departure from the wider Eritrean population in their desire for independence from Ethiopia. The 1993 referendum likewise produced the same overall outcome.

Following that referendum, Eritrea became a sovereign state. Ethiopia therefore had no right to interfere in Eritrea’s internal political affairs.

@MFAEthiopia @AUC_MoussaFaki @_AfricanUnion @BBCAfrica @trtafrika @mfa_russia @EIshmael_ @TheVillaSomalia @addisstandard @USEmbassyAddis @StateDept @US_SrAdvisorAF @AnnGarrison @antonioguterres @Reuters @EmbassyofRussia @KSAmofaEN @FarahMaalimM @EgyptForeignMin @SudanTribune_EN @khaledmahmoued1 @umutcagrisariii

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

My country

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

Very funny 🤣

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

Very funny

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

Death leaves heartache no one can heal ,love leaves a memory no one can steal.

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

https://t.co/USUKXGgjkX

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

https://t.co/3KDvZHvww8

[Proud 2b Eritrean @2bEritrean]

Apparently, according to this delusional Tigrayan, the US was discovered by Tigrayans (axumite). Somebody, please pinch me🙈🙉😬

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

Is it sport news ????can someone explain me???lol

[Ghideon Musa @GhideonMusa]

ቃለ-መሕትት ምስ ክቡር ፕረዚደንት ኢሳይያስ ኣፈወርቂ ሎሚ ሰንበት 12ለካቲት፡ ምስ ኤሪ-ቲቪን ድምጺ ሓፋሽ ኤርትራን፡ ኣብ እዋናዊ ዞባዊ ምዕባለታትን ዘቤታዊ ኩነታትን ዘተኰረ ከካይዳ’የን። እቲ መደብ፡ ካብ ሰዓት 7:00 ምሸት ጀሚሩ ብቐጥታ ክፍኖ’ዩ።

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

https://t.co/lN13DBcNRF

[Prince Ambassador @PrinceAmbassad7]

“ጐበዝ ንመገዱ ብምንታይ የንጽሃ፧ ከም ቃልካ ንነፍሱ ብምጥንቃቕ እዩ።”
— መዝሙር ዳዊት 119፥9