Envoy announces re-opening of Ethiopian embassy in 2 months
Some of embassy’s employees back in Kuwait: Tajo
KUWAIT CITY, May 14: Ethiopian Ambassador to Kuwait Hassan Tajo has announced the reopening of his country’s embassy at full capacity within two months, reports Al-Qabas daily.
Tajo made the announcement after several months since the issuance of the decision to close the embassy temporarily in compliance with the directive of the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the closure and reduction of its embassies and consulates around the world as per the austerity plan that started in Addis Ababa some time ago.
In his first statement to a local newspaper since his return to Kuwait, Tajo informed the daily that some of the embassy’s employees have returned to the country; while the rest of the staff will return once the embassy reopens. He said the embassy will resume all consular services as soon as it reopens.
Asked about the new embassy headquarters, Tajo disclosed: “We are looking for a building to rent for the headquarters of the embassy.”
Austerity
He explained the decision to close the embassy is part of the austerity plan due to the economic conditions during the Corona pandemic. Now, the Ethiopian economy has started to recover; so the decision was taken to reopen Ethiopian embassies in some important countries like Kuwait, he revealed.
He stressed that the decision to close the Ethiopian Embassy in the country did not affect the KuwaitiEthiopian relations. He asserted “the Kuwaiti government understands the Ethiopian position and the difficult conditions in our country. The bilateral relations are strong and deeply rooted in history. Our relations with Kuwait are not only diplomatic; as we also have very good cultural, religious, historical and economic relations. My government and I will work towards strengthening relations in various fields, because Kuwait is an important country for us and for Africa as a whole, considering commonalities in culture and history.”
Asked how Kuwait was informed about the reopening of the embassy, Tajo disclosed: “The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Kuwaiti government about the reopening of the embassy through a familiar diplomatic route. I was overjoyed when I was informed about my return to Kuwait, because it is a blessed country for me. Assuming my duties as Ethiopia’s ambassador to Kuwait coincided with winning an international competition, the Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation and International Understanding for the year 2021 in the category of achievement. This brought good tidings, so I was very sad when the embassy closed.”
On signing the domestic labor agreement with Kuwait, Tajo affirmed a memorandum of understanding regarding domestic workers will be signed soon, as there is a great understanding between the two countries in various fields. He said Kuwait is a very good country for Ethiopian workers; taking into consideration the good treatment and hospitality they enjoy here, not to mention the common culture.
He added there are about 25,000 Ethiopians residing in Kuwait and most of them are domestic workers, indicating this number is expected to double after signing the memorandum of understanding.