Newly-appointed Ethiopian Ambs. arrives in Cairo

CAIRO – 1 September 2018: Newly-appointed Ethiopian Ambassador to Cairo, Cindiso Azano, arrived in Cairo on Saturday to assume his duties, succeeding Atske-Selassie.

Selassie wrapped up his service in Egypt by holding a press conference Wednesday, where he stressed the strength of the bilateral relations between the two countries in the past couple of years.

“The current period is the best in terms of Egyptian-Ethiopian relations,” said Atske-Selassie, who left for a job at the United Nations Security Council, during the press conference, held at a Giza hotel on Wednesday, underlining five important meetings made during the last 18 months between the leaders of the two countries, which contributed in bridging the gaps in point of views of both.

The first of those was held between Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Ethiopian former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn earlier this year. The other one was with his successor, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in June.

Atske-Selassie stressed Ethiopia’s firm commitment to Egypt’s interest in Nile water, regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), praising Sisi’s handling to the whole issue by supporting the dialogue between both parties, which created an atmosphere allowing them to manage the issue in a rational manner.

“The Egyptian administration has enriched relations with other African countries,” Atske-Selassie stated during his speech, adding that a new fund between Egypt and Ethiopia will be launched to support development projects related to GERD.

Additional reporting by Afaf Ashraf