The Government of Eritrea and Ethiopia rejected European Union’s (EU’s) statement, which accused Eritrea for “impeding the ongoing efforts towards peace in Ethiopia”, and for “ignoring the blatant violations committed by the TPLF in various occasions”.
“This accusation is not only factually baseless but it also overlooks, willfully and for ulterior political considerations, the fundamental causes and dynamics of the war in Ethiopia. In the first place, the war in Ethiopia was triggered by the TPLF when it launched a massive, premeditated and unprovoked War of Insurrection against the Federal Government in the first weeks of November 2020,” Eritrea said in a statement.
“TPLF’s war plans included concomitant military measures against Eritrea as part and parcel of its hostile policies of territorial aggrandizement and “regime change” that it had doggedly pursued for almost two decades when it was at the helm of power in Ethiopia.”
The statement also said: “It must be emphasized here that the EU – both collectively and through its individual Member States – extended substantial budgetary and other fungible assistance to the TPLF throughout these years despite its illegal occupation of sovereign Eritrean territories in contravention of the EEBC Award and the Algiers Peace Agreement facilitated and brokered by the EU and other powers.”
A response to the Statement by the Spokesperson of the #EU EEAS
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The Ethiopian Embassy in Belgium is dismayed by the statement issued on the 14th of September 2022, by the spokesperson of the European Union External Action Services (#EEAS).https://t.co/RVZFdf1IgJ pic.twitter.com/TZcE3VR71C— Ethiopian Mission EU (@EthiopiaEU) September 15, 2022
“The EU’s kid glove treatment of the TPLF in those years did not only contribute to regional instability but emboldened the TPLF to violate international law with impunity,” the statement said.
“Secondly, the current cycle of war was again ignited by the TPLF when it launched its third offensive on 24 August last month. To pursue its reckless and repetitive military offensives, the TPLF continues routinely to commit abominable crimes, including forced conscription of child soldiers that it is using as cannon fodder in its human-wave attacks.”
“It has funneled WFP fuel and trucks for its war effort. These acts have not been condemned by the EU and certain powers who seem to have an interest to downplay TPLF’s sole culpability and portray it as a “victim”. It is important to recognize that this misguided policy is indeed a key factor that continues to embolden the TPLF and to that extent, exacerbate the conflict in Ethiopia,” Eritrea said.
“Eritrea’s regional policy is otherwise firmly anchored on promotion of regional peace, stability, and economic cooperation on the basis of full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Member States. Indeed, Eritrea cherishes regional peace as it has been affected by imposed and intermittent wars in the past decades,” it said.
In related development, The Ethiopian Government also rejected a statement made by EU representative on Wednesday. “The Ethiopian Embassy in Belgium is dismayed by the statement issued on the 14th of September 2022, by the spokesperson of the European Union External Action Services (EEAS). The Spokesperson continuously chooses to ignore the blatant violations committed by the TPLF in various occasions, including that of opening the third round of conflict and abusing humanitarian aid and fuel to advance military escalations,” said Ethiopian Embassy in Belgium.
“The statement is also misleading by pronouncing that TPLF took an initiative for peace. It’s a well-known fact that the Government of Ethiopia has been taking various tangible measures including a unilateral humanitarian truce since march 2022, and naming a negotiation team under the auspices of the Africa Union, believing that it would create trust and ultimately paving the way for the commencement of negotiation.”
“While rejecting the selective vilification by the Spokesperson of the EEAS, we would like to reiterate the unwavering commitment of the Government of Ethiopia to Peacefully Resolve the Conflict in Northern Ethiopia,” said the Embassy.