Scenary from the english country side .It took these pictures on the train on my way to liverpool
A Chinese-African Friendship Association delegation in Addis Ababa
A twenty-member Chinese delegation led by Mr. Abdul’ahat Abudurexiti, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association CAPFA) paid a two-day working visit to Ethiopia this week. The delegation, which included local government representatives, members of the China-Africa Friendship Association and entrepreneurs, were invited by Ato Degefe Bulla, Speaker of the House of Federation of Ethiopia. The aim of the visit was to further bolster China-Africa cooperation, and Ethio-Chinese friendship in particular, by convening the “Fourth Conference on Exchanges between Chinese and African Local Governments and Entrepreneurs” in Addis Ababa . As part of the Beijing Plan of Action, the Chinese African People’s Friendship Association has already convened three seminars (two in Beijing and one in Nairobi ) to enhance Chinese-African local government cooperation. Wednesday’s seminar was attended by mayors and vice-mayors of a number of different Ethiopian cities, business people and government representatives. Ato Degefe Bulla highlighted the need to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between China and Africa and of the people-to-people relations for the mutual benefit of both sides. He also underlined the importance of exploiting the ample opportunities that exist in terms of trade and investment between the two countries. Mr. Abudurexiti spoke of building a platform of co-operation between local government bodies and of raising the levels of friendship between China and Africa .
So far, Ethiopia and China have established three city-to-city twinning agreements, but a lot could be done to increase this. During the seminar, both sides underscored the need to work together to promote relations between respective local governments. The Ministry of Works and Urban Development of Ethiopia put forward the idea of twinning twenty-five Ethiopian cities with their Chinese counterparts to expand areas of knowledge and skill transfer and investment as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges over the next three years. The suggestion was warmly welcomed by the Chinese delegation, and both sides agreed to work towards realizing this by exchanging information through diplomatic channels.
German and Finnish officials visit Ethiopia
The Secretary of State in the German Foreign office, Mr. Peter Ammon, on a visit to Addis Ababa this week met and held discussions with President Girma Woldegiorgis, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and other officials. Mr. Ammon was in Addis Ababa for four days to attend the regular annual meeting of German Ambassadors to African state, held in Addis Ababa for the first time. Discussions focused on ways and means to foster bilateral cooperation and on regional matters of common interest. President Girma detailed the ongoing reforestation programmes in Ethiopia , and the positive implications of the Government’s renewable energy projects for the Horn of Africa. Mr. Ammon discussed the current political and security situation in the Horn of Africa with the Prime Minister as well as the implications of the global economic crisis and its impact on Africa in the context of the outcome of the G-20 summit. Both expressed satisfaction at the current state of bilateral relations. At a working lunch with Dr. Tekeda Alemu, the Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs said there was a necessity to boost the capacity of the current Somali Government in peace- building and security matters. He underlined that it now appeared there was wider awareness in the international community that piracy along the Somali coast was only a symptom of the lack of peace and security in the country, in part caused by a lack of adequate attention by the international community itself. He also indicated the paradox that while the international community was trying to mobilize resources for the Somali Government, on the ground in Somalia, the situation is continuing to deteriorate because of the actions of parties like Eritrea and individuals like Sheikh ‘Aweys’ who, as we said last week, has been quoted as describing AMISOM as “bacteria” and calling President Sheik Sharif and his followers as “infidels”. The State Minister underlined that if there was to be progress in controlling piracy and in changing the situation on the ground in Somalia for the better, the international community should not tolerate spoilers, whether Somalis or any others working to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the existing Somali Government, and AMISOM. Another point of discussion was the political and security situation in the Sudan .
In the discussions with the Prime Minister, both he and Mr. Ammon expressed their satisfaction with the way the Ethio-German development cooperation has been progressing. In accordance with the development cooperation agreement signed in June last year, Germany has committed a sum of 115 million Euros for development assistance between 2008 and 2011. The agreement covers an Engineering Capacity Building Programme (ECBP), Sustainable Utilization to Natural Resources (SUNR), Protection of Basic Services (PBS) and Urban Governance and Decentralization (UGD).
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A delegation from Finland , led by Ms. Sirpa Maenppa, Deputy Director-General for Africa and the Middle East at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been in Ethiopia this week. The delegation held bilateral consultations on development cooperation and signed agreed minutes with the officials of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) on Ethio-Finnish bilateral development cooperation, providing for 54 million Euros of assistance over the next three years. Prior to signing the agreement, the two sides discussed actual financial disbursements and project performance assessments of the previous two-year programme (2007-2008). Officials briefed the delegation on the current economic and political situation, and the possible impact of the global economic crisis on Ethiopia ’s poverty reduction effort. The new assistance programme covers planning and management capacity for rural water supplies, and sanitation and hygiene for the achievement of Universal Access Plan Goals. The Finnish delegation also held separate talks on bilateral relations and regional issues of common interest with Ato Tesfaye Yilma, the head of the Directorate-General of Europe and America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ethiopia and Finland established diplomatic relations just over 50 years ago, in 1957, and the two countries have enjoyed consistently friendly relations.
A twenty-member Chinese delegation led by Mr. Abdul’ahat Abudurexiti, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association CAPFA) paid a two-day working visit to Ethiopia this week. The delegation, which included local government representatives, members of the China-Africa Friendship Association and entrepreneurs, were invited by Ato Degefe Bulla, Speaker of the House of Federation of Ethiopia. The aim of the visit was to further bolster China-Africa cooperation, and Ethio-Chinese friendship in particular, by convening the “Fourth Conference on Exchanges between Chinese and African Local Governments and Entrepreneurs” in Addis Ababa . As part of the Beijing Plan of Action, the Chinese African People’s Friendship Association has already convened three seminars (two in Beijing and one in Nairobi ) to enhance Chinese-African local government cooperation. Wednesday’s seminar was attended by mayors and vice-mayors of a number of different Ethiopian cities, business people and government representatives. Ato Degefe Bulla highlighted the need to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between China and Africa and of the people-to-people relations for the mutual benefit of both sides. He also underlined the importance of exploiting the ample opportunities that exist in terms of trade and investment between the two countries. Mr. Abudurexiti spoke of building a platform of co-operation between local government bodies and of raising the levels of friendship between China and Africa .
So far, Ethiopia and China have established three city-to-city twinning agreements, but a lot could be done to increase this. During the seminar, both sides underscored the need to work together to promote relations between respective local governments. The Ministry of Works and Urban Development of Ethiopia put forward the idea of twinning twenty-five Ethiopian cities with their Chinese counterparts to expand areas of knowledge and skill transfer and investment as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges over the next three years. The suggestion was warmly welcomed by the Chinese delegation, and both sides agreed to work towards realizing this by exchanging information through diplomatic channels.
German and Finnish officials visit Ethiopia
The Secretary of State in the German Foreign office, Mr. Peter Ammon, on a visit to Addis Ababa this week met and held discussions with President Girma Woldegiorgis, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, and other officials. Mr. Ammon was in Addis Ababa for four days to attend the regular annual meeting of German Ambassadors to African state, held in Addis Ababa for the first time. Discussions focused on ways and means to foster bilateral cooperation and on regional matters of common interest. President Girma detailed the ongoing reforestation programmes in Ethiopia , and the positive implications of the Government’s renewable energy projects for the Horn of Africa. Mr. Ammon discussed the current political and security situation in the Horn of Africa with the Prime Minister as well as the implications of the global economic crisis and its impact on Africa in the context of the outcome of the G-20 summit. Both expressed satisfaction at the current state of bilateral relations. At a working lunch with Dr. Tekeda Alemu, the Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs said there was a necessity to boost the capacity of the current Somali Government in peace- building and security matters. He underlined that it now appeared there was wider awareness in the international community that piracy along the Somali coast was only a symptom of the lack of peace and security in the country, in part caused by a lack of adequate attention by the international community itself. He also indicated the paradox that while the international community was trying to mobilize resources for the Somali Government, on the ground in Somalia, the situation is continuing to deteriorate because of the actions of parties like Eritrea and individuals like Sheikh ‘Aweys’ who, as we said last week, has been quoted as describing AMISOM as “bacteria” and calling President Sheik Sharif and his followers as “infidels”. The State Minister underlined that if there was to be progress in controlling piracy and in changing the situation on the ground in Somalia for the better, the international community should not tolerate spoilers, whether Somalis or any others working to undermine the authority and legitimacy of the existing Somali Government, and AMISOM. Another point of discussion was the political and security situation in the Sudan .
In the discussions with the Prime Minister, both he and Mr. Ammon expressed their satisfaction with the way the Ethio-German development cooperation has been progressing. In accordance with the development cooperation agreement signed in June last year, Germany has committed a sum of 115 million Euros for development assistance between 2008 and 2011. The agreement covers an Engineering Capacity Building Programme (ECBP), Sustainable Utilization to Natural Resources (SUNR), Protection of Basic Services (PBS) and Urban Governance and Decentralization (UGD).
*******
A delegation from Finland , led by Ms. Sirpa Maenppa, Deputy Director-General for Africa and the Middle East at the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been in Ethiopia this week. The delegation held bilateral consultations on development cooperation and signed agreed minutes with the officials of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MOFED) on Ethio-Finnish bilateral development cooperation, providing for 54 million Euros of assistance over the next three years. Prior to signing the agreement, the two sides discussed actual financial disbursements and project performance assessments of the previous two-year programme (2007-2008). Officials briefed the delegation on the current economic and political situation, and the possible impact of the global economic crisis on Ethiopia ’s poverty reduction effort. The new assistance programme covers planning and management capacity for rural water supplies, and sanitation and hygiene for the achievement of Universal Access Plan Goals. The Finnish delegation also held separate talks on bilateral relations and regional issues of common interest with Ato Tesfaye Yilma, the head of the Directorate-General of Europe and America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ethiopia and Finland established diplomatic relations just over 50 years ago, in 1957, and the two countries have enjoyed consistently friendly relations.
