18th Nations, Nationalities & Peoples’ Day
Naveed Ahmad Khan Photos by Raja Farid
ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) in Islamabad has celebrated its 18th Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day here on Thursday in esteemed presence of a large number of Ethiopian Diaspora in Pakistan, media, civil society and friends of Ethiopia.
The day was celebrated colorfully at the Embassy of FDRE Ethiopia in Islamabad with a national zeal and fervour. Cultural performances and Ethiopian coffee ceremony were put on the display to promote diverse culture of the FDR Ethiopia.
Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Jemal Beker Abdula, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the FDR Ethiopia to Pakistan, said the people of Ethiopia were celebrating the 18th Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day of Ethiopia.
To this end, a strong foundation was laid by Nations, nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia that ratified Ethiopia’s Constitution on 8 December 1994 that recognized and transformed diversity into strength and wealth while guaranteeing democratic order, lasting peace, and advancing political, economic and social matters based on equality and justice that ensures fraternity and national unity among Ethiopians, he added.
On this auspicious day, the ambassador said a seed of harmony was planted in the diverse soil of Ethiopia that today has been transformed into a majestic tree blossoming with the spirit of unity, tolerance, compassion and above all, Ethiopianism.
“Our diversity is our strength and what we all must do is to contribute in this cause, show compassion to each other, live in harmony and promote peace and prosperity to build an ideal and strong nations for the coming generations,” he said, while describing the current generation as “Medemer” that is destined to leave a strong legacy for the next generation.
He said understanding each other, strengthening fraternity and living in harmony and fighting the challenges together to achieve strong, resilient and prosperous Ethiopia should be the priority for all the nations.
As a matter of fact, H.E. Jemal Beker said both Ethiopia and Pakistan faced the challenge of hybrid warfare. There is a strong need for initiating bilateral cooperation between the two countries to deal with this challenge.
“False narratives are being peddled to mislead the youth to see decay of a society. We all must be wary of this challenge which is not only faced by Ethiopia but Pakistan as well.”
“We have already initiated a bilateral cooperation in the area of climate change by launching the Green Legacy Initiative of our Prime Minister His Excellency Dr Abiy Ahmed here in Pakistan and we are currently working to fight the challenge of climate change,” he stressed.
He said the government FDR Ethiopia was committed to defend its sovereignty, diversity and aspiration of its nations. “Today, Ethiopia is a symbol of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and our Prime Minister is leading the efforts to promote national unity in Ethiopia,” he added.
The ambassador said H.E. Dr. PM Abiy Ahmed is a Nobel Peace Prize and brought peace, prosperity and unity to the next level in Ethiopia by preserving and balancing ethnic and national identities while promoting civic culture and deepening democracy.
He urged all the people of Ethiopia to learn from their past, harness their current potential and worked towards a strong legacy that would ultimately build robust and vibrant nation for all Ethiopians.