The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is a project that meets the legitimate development aspirations of Ethiopians and the region at large, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen said.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister delivered his statement today at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During the occasion, he said Ethiopia honored its responsibility by promoting regional integration to advance peace, stability, economic cooperation and people to people ties.
“We are working to materialize the development potential of our region. Ethiopia is determined to cooperate with its neighbors to expand trade, investment, and regional integration through infrastructural development, efficient logistics, and connectivity, ” he said.
Highlighting that any bottleneck that would constraint the shared prosperity of the region needs to be addressed in a concerted approach, he said fostering a closer approach is critical to create access to seamless connectivity.
Cultivating mutual trust and friendship is the right choice for regional cooperation and interdependence, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister said, adding regional integration positively impacts the lives of people especially when complemented by well developed infrastructure development projects.
For Demeke, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is one such project that meets the legitimate development aspirations of Ethiopians and the region at large.
And he welcomes the resumption of the trilateral talks.
Regarding Ethiopia’s commitment on climate change, he stressed “we are committed to finding comprehensive solutions to the climate crisis, Ethiopian owned flagship program, the national Green Legacy Initiative, is a demonstration of this commitment.”
Noting that the objective of the program is to cultivate a green culture and ensure the country’s development through rural and urban green initiatives, he said the program has been successful and we are making every effort to share our experience.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency