- TICAD8 to further strengthen ties
ADDIS ABABA– Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Ito Takako reiterated her country’s tenacity to support Ethiopia’s efforts towards a better future as a trusted partner.
The Ambassador said: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”, and in this regard, Japan commits itself to back Ethiopia’s endeavors to build a truly democratic and peaceful country.
Speaking at a ceremony organized yesterday to mark the 62nd birthday anniversary of his Majesty Naruhito, the Emperor of Japan, Ito indicated: “Ethiopia is too big to fail and we have to work together to proceed on the right path for the over 110 million people in this country.”
Last year was not necessarily filled with difficulties, she indicated, explaining that 2021 had seen another milestone in the Japan-Ethiopia relations.
Japanese assistance in Ethiopia’s most democratic general elections in its history by contributing ballot boxes of international standard and indelible inks, not to mention that observers were sent from the Embassy, can be examples in the political front.
Another showcase to this end is the country’s continuous support for training courses at the International Peace Support Training Institute in Ethiopia, Japan and UNDP’s support that enabled a new master’s degree course on Peace and Conflict Management which benefit peacekeepers not only form Ethiopia but also from other East African countries.
She also noted that Japanese economic support made last year included a 13-million USD in emergency assistance made in December and a 14-million USD for various projects carried out through international organizations in Ethiopia.
Mentioning that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is marking the 50th anniversary of its operation in Ethiopia, many projects by JICA including A3 Road Project and Kaizen Institute are great examples of the supports.
She also expressed hope that the two-side multifaceted ties would further gain momentum using the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD8) which would be held on the 27th-28th of August this year.
BY WORKU BELACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2022
