Ethiopia wants stronger ties with TT

Presenting his credentials to President Anthony Carmona on Thursday last at the Office of the President, St Anne’s, Kedir said Ethiopia, one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, is eager to strengthen ties in terms of trade, mining, energy and culture.

Carmona and Kedir shared with students of Roxborough and Diego Martin Secondary schools some of the history of Ethiopia, modern- day Ethiopia, Ethiopia’s role in the African Union and its linkages to the Caribbean through activists such as Marcus Mosiah Garvey and the Rastafarian movement. Known as the cradle of civilisation with archaeological finds that date back to over three million years ago, Kedir said that as one of the founding members of the United Nations and the League of Nations of nations that preceded it, Ethiopia continues to play a peace-keeping role in the Sub-Saharan region that has been a zone of conflict.

Though based in Havana, Cuba, Kedir said that many opportunities exist for furthering relationships across the Atlantic. He noted that Africa views the Caribbean as an extension of the continent and both the Caribbean and Africa support each other in international forums on many pertinent global affairs including climate change. Noting that Ethiopia has a population of 100 million people with over 80 languages, he said, that the country was ready to showcase its diverse cultures in the Caribbean region.

Noting also that Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, was seen as the political capital of Africa, he urged TT to reopen a diplomatic mission there. His country, he said, was experiencing a wave of investments, particularly from Asia, because of the opportunities available. On the cultural front, he noted that Trinidad was the regional headquarters of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the patriarch of the church who is now in TT for over 45 years has almost become a citizen.

In his remarks, Carmona said that many the world over, do not appreciate the role Ethiopia has played in world history from biblical times to the present.

“History has not been kind to Ethiopia,” he said noting that it was the first and only country in the world that created the philosophy of repatriation and encouraged descendant of slaves to go back to Africa.

Ethiopia had also set aside 500 hectares of land for repatriation in an area called Sheshamane, and some 3,000 Caribbean nationals including Jamaicans and over 400 Trinidadians took up the offer.