Eritrea: Land of
Can-Do People!
(Yikealo! kikewn eyu
kemey zeykewn!)

ERI-NEWS
Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA
Press Section

President Isaias Conducted Official Visit to Qatar

National Service: A toolfor Economic
Development, National
Cohesion and theDefence of Sovereignty

Volume 1, Issue 6
15 March 2014

President Isaias Afwerki conducted an
official visit to the State of Qatar from
2-5 March 2014. During his 4-day
stay in Doha, the President held productive meetings with the Amir ofQatar, Sheikh Temim Bin Hammed
Bin Khelifa Al-Thani.

Inside this issue:

Eritrea’s
Diplomatic
Activities in Brief

President Isaias also held separate andextensive meetings with Dr. Khalid
Al-Atia, Qatari Foreign Minister;
Sheikh Abdalla Bin Nasser Bin Khelifa
Al-Thani, Chairman of the Qatari
Ministerial Assembly and Minister ofThe discussions between President Internal Affairs; as well as Mr. Jassim
Isaias and the Amir of Qatar focused Seif Al-Suleiti, the Minister of Transon bilateral ties and partnership, as port.
well as regional and international
issues.

President of South Sudan Sent a Letter of Thanks andAppreciation to the President of Eritrea

Eritrean Mining
Sector AttractingMore Investors

22Press Statement ofthe Ministry of 3
Foreign Affairs
on Eritrea’s
Principled Stanceon the Situation inSouth Sudan

On 6 March 2014, a Delegation led by
the Deputy Foreign Minister of South
Sudan, Mr. Peter Beshir Bande, metwith President Isaias Afwerki anddelivered a letter from President SalvaKiir.
In the letter, President Salva Kiir reiterated his gratitude for the historicalrole that the people and Governmentof Eritrea played in supporting theSudan Sudanese people’s right to selfdetermination. President Salva Kiir
also commended the positive and constructive contributions that President
Isaias and the Government of Eritrea
are making in resolving the current
problem in South Sudan.

President Isaias, on his part, expressed
his appreciation for President Salva
Kiir’s message and reaffirmed Eritrea’s
principled and consistent support to theGovernment and people of South Sudan.
The President underlined that the current
problem in South Sudan cannot beresolved militarily, and the way forward
should be an all-inclusive national reconciliation, that is owned and led by theGovernment and people of South Sudan.

Vol 1. Issue 6, 15 March 2014

Contact Addresses:
Tel: +251-116620052
Fax:+251-116620011
Email:eritreanaumission@
gmail.com
P.o.Box: 5527
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eritrean Mission toAU& ECA@EritreaAU

Volume 1, Issue 6

Page 2

Eritrea’s Diplomatic Activities in Brief•

On 3rd March 2014, Mr.
Osman Saleh, Minister ofForeign Affairs of Eritrea
addressed the High-level
Segment of the 25th Session ofthe UN Human Rights
Council held in Geneva,
Switzerland. (full text of the state-•

ment can be accessed at: http://eastafro.com/Post/2014/03/03/
statement-by-h-e-osman-saleh-atthe-un-human-right-council/)•An Eritrean delegation led byMr. Stifanos Habte, Ministerof Trade and Industry participated in the 17th Summit of
the Authority of the Common
Market for Eastern andSouthern Africa (COMESA)
held in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, from26 - 27 February 2014.

The President of the National
Union of Eritrean Women,
Ms. Luul Gebreab is participating in the 58th session ofthe UN Commission on theStatus of Women (CSW)
which is being held in NewYork, from 10-21 March
2014. On 11 March, Ms. Luuld e l i v e r e d a S t a t e me n t
on "Challenges and achievements in the implementationof the Millennium Development Goals for women andgirls.” (full text of the statement
can be accessed at: http://papersmart.unmeetings.org/media2/2261364/eritrea-r1.pdf)•An Eritrean Delegation led by
Ambassador Abdella Mussa,
Ambassador of the State ofEritrea to Libya and Perma-

nent Representative to theCommunity of SahelSaharan States (CEN-SAD)
took part in the 20th Ordinary
Session of the Executive
Council of CEN-SAD, held in
Khartoum, Sudan from 12 to
13 March 2014.
•The Norwegian Special
Envoy on Sudan and South
Sudan, Ambassador JensPetter Kjemprud travelled toAsmara on the first week ofMarch and held consultations
with Eritrean officials on theresolution of the problem inSouth Sudan. The Eritrean
and Norwegian sides affirmedthat they hold similar viewson the way forward in South
Sudan.

Eritrean Mining Sector Attracting More Investors
friendly mining code, active
support and encouragement by
the Government to the sector,
corruption-free environment andreliable infrastructure has madethe country a favorable destinaEritrea’s rich mineral deposits
tion for foreign investment incoupled with its investmentthe mining sector.
Eritrea is endowed with vast
amounts of mineral resources
including gold, copper, potash,zinc, gypsum, granite, marble,limestone, iron ore…etc.

Currently there are 17 explorationand mining companies operating inEritrea from Australia, Canada,China, New Zealand, Russia,
South Africa, U.K and so on. (seetable below)

Exploration and Mining Companies in Eritrea
1.

BISHA MINING SHARE COMPANY

10.

HUBEI GEOLOGICAL & MINING COMPANYLTD

2.

ZARA MINING SH, CO

11.

KETINA MINING

3.

SUNRIDGE GOLD CORPORATION

12.

LAND ENERGY GROUP (CHINA) LTD

4.

SOUTH BOULDER MINES LTD

13.

LONDON AFRICA LTD

5.

ADOBHA RESOURCES LTD

14.

SAHAR MINERALS LTD

6.

ANDIAMO EXPLORATION LTD

15.

SHANDONG MINING DEVELOPMENT LTD

7.

BEIJING SINOMA MINING INVESTMENT LTD

16.

SUB-SAHARA RESOURCES (ERITREA) LTD

8.

CHINA AFRICA HUAKAN INVESTMENT CO,. LTD

17.

ZHONG CHANG MINING CO, LTD.

9.

ERITREA CHINA EXPLORATION & MINING SH,COSource: Ministry of Energy and Mines of Eritrea, 2014

Vol 1. Issue 6, 15 March 2014

Eri-NewsPage 3

Press Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
on Eritrea’s Principled Stance on the Situation in South Sudan
The stance and robust solidarity of the people andGovernment of Eritrea on the cause of the people ofSouth Sudan is an indelible historical fact that isembossed on granite. In the event, it does not
require third-party testimony or validation; nor canit be misconstrued for sinister purposes. Eritrea’sunfaltering historical stance was never adulterated
by whimsical considerations in response to fluid orchanging developments and realities.
Furthermore, the people and Government of Eritrea
went beyond mere recognition and endorsement toearnestly cultivate strategic ties with South Sudan
and to extend their modest contributions when thepeople of South Sudan chose independence inexercising their right to self-determination, and, as
they embarked on the challenging, nation-building,
process to create a sovereign State that fulfills theiraspirations. Again, Eritrea’s unequivocal stance inregard to the new realities was not influenced by,and occurred irrespective of, the factors andprotagonists that impinged on the unfolding developments.
Indeed, the people and Government of Eritrea haveand remain committed to constructive engagementwith the people and government of South Sudan as
the latter formulated their primary priorities andcharted out a road-map for a sovereign State and as
they begun the long and arduous journey to rehabilitate their country devastated by a long war and tolay the foundations for a stable and prosperous
nation.
Unfortunately, the people of South Sudan have notbeen enabled to implement the road map they havecharted out in a congenial and serene environment. As it happened, sinister machinations
designed to stoke and manage the crisis havecatapulted the problem to confounding regional andinternational forums under the mantle of “benignfacilitation” instead of encouraging the people ofSouth Sudan to resolve their own problems themselves. This misguided approach is fraught withrisks of exacerbating
the problem insteadof preventing or containing it. It may
well be designed toplunge and embroil
the people of South Sudan in an endless and meaningless internal strife and conflict thereby exposing
them to the plundering of their resources while
stifling their developmental opportunities. The
Government of Eritrea is cognizant of the dangerous consequences that this would entail. As such, it
has underlined its reservations and communicatedits opposition and clear stance.
On the other hand, the purveyors of lies and “crisesincubation” routinely resort to manufacturing outrageous lies against Eritrea principally in order todivert attention from and conceal their subversive
acts described above. To this end, they haveaccused the Government of Eritrea, at times, for“supporting the Republic of Sudan in the battles atHiglig” and at other times “for supporting the YawYaw”. Today they are peddling a preposterous lie
accusing the Government of Eritrea “for supportingMachar”. No one is surprised by this outrageouslie.
The Government of Eritrea again stresses that it
will not be drawn into this cheap gimmick whose
primary sources and ulterior objectives it knows
only too well. But it calls on all pretentious“benefactors” who shed crocodile tears while
profiting from the internecine killings, displacement and plight of the people of South Sudan totake their hands off and allow the people of South
Sudan to resolve their own problems and lay thefoundations for building their nation and governmental institutions.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara10 March 2014

Vol 1. Issue 6, 15 March 2014