Press
Release
The Embassy of Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia in Ottawa, Canada, is pleased to communicate the result of a
successful meeting on March 4, 2010, to form the Ethio-Canadian Friendship
Association. The Association was conceived as an independent and a
non-political organization with a mandate to foster and promote strong ties
between Ethiopia and Canada.
The meeting was initiated by the
Ethiopian Embassy. Attendees included professionals, diplomats, civil society
representatives, members of the Ethiopian Diaspora, Canadian adoptees of
Ethiopian children and Canadian Friends of Ethiopia.
In his opening remark, the Chair of the
event Dr. Getachew Mequanent said that Canadian
multiculturalism (whose ideals promote mutual respect and global citizenship)
would provide many opportunities to strengthen strong ties between Ethiopia and
Canada including mobilizing resources to strengthen the capacity of Ethiopian
institutions to fight poverty and support the practice of democracy and respect
human rights.
The Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Canada W/o Almaz Amaha noted that Ethiopia,
like Canada, has a rich and unique multicultural history including the
co-existence of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. She said that Canada
and Ethiopia shared mutual strategic interests, as development partners and key
players in the promotion of regional peace and security. W/o
Almaz also talked about the promising results achieved in the different sectors
of society to transform Ethiopia into a middle-income country by 2025. She mentioned the growing relationships between Ethiopia and Canada
including the recent signing of a bilateral agreement
that allows the Ethiopian Airlines to fly to Canada, and reiterated the
commitment of the Ethiopian
Embassy to working with community organizations that promote mutually
beneficial relationships between the two countries.
There was a consensus that
the Ethio-Canadian Friendship Association could serve
the interests and aspirations of diverse stakeholders by fostering
friendships and encouraging social, economic and cultural ties between Ethiopia
and Canada. After informative and
constructive exchanges of ideas and views, the participants of the event agreed
to create Organizing Committee and three other support committees to work on
the various aspects of designing and structuring the Ethio-Canadian Friendship
Association. Sixteen (16)
people of diverse professional backgrounds volunteered to get
involved in these committees. Participants acknowledged and praised the
leadership of the Ethiopian Embassy to organize the first meeting of the
Association.
Embassy of
the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to Canada
Ottawa, March 8, 2010