Eritrea: Land of
Can-Do People!

ERI-NEWS

National Service: A toolfor EconomicDevelopment, NationalCohesion and theDefence of Sovereignty

Bi-Weekly Newsletter
Permanent Mission of the State of Eritrea to AU
and UNECA
Press Section
President Isaias Afwerki held talks with theCrown Prince of Abu Dhabi
President Isaias Afwerki met and heldtalks with Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed
Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu
Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The
talks that took place on 11 October inAbu Dhabi, centered on enhancing thewarm bilateral ties that exist betweenthe two countries.
During the meeting, Sheik Mohamed
bin Zayed expressed satisfaction at therobust ties of friendship and cooperation cultivated between the two countries for decades. Sheikh Mohamed
further asserted his country’s readinessto foster close ties on the basis of cooperation, friendship and mutual interest.

Vol 3. Issue 56
20 October 2016
Inside this issue:
Eritrea’s Statement
at the AU Maritime 2Summit

President Isaias, on his part, praised theprogress made by the UAE in all sectors and expressed Eritrea’s willingness
to expand cooperation with the UAE.
The two sides also exchanged views on
regional and international developments as well as on other issues ofmutual interest.

Minister Osman Saleh Met with UN Secretary General
During the meeting, the Secretary
General encouraged Eritrea to continue
implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals. He also congratulated Eritrea on the 25th anniversary of
its independence which was celebrated
on 24 May 2016.
The two sides exchanged views on anumber of issues, including the cooperation between Eritrea and the UNand peace and security challenges inThe Eritrean Foreign Minister, Mr. the Horn of Africa and other relevant
Osman Saleh, met and held talks with issues.
the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Kimoon on 27 September in New York.
Vol 3. Issue 56, 20 October 2016

Eritrea Awarded for
Outstanding
Achievement in3
Immunization
Eritrea Expecting aBumper Harvest 3
Eritrea Committed
to Address
4
Migration
Comprehensively
Eritrea Participatedat the 39th Session of 4
the ICAO Assembly
Russia Granted
Postgraduate
Scholarship to 25
Eritrean Youth4

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

Page 2Eri-NewsStatement by H.E. Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea,
at the Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on Maritime Security, Safety andDevelopment, 15 October 2016, Lomé, Togo
Mr. Chairman,
At the outset, I wish to express my profound gratitude
to the People and Government of the Togolese
Republic for the warm hospitality accorded to us andfor the excellent facilities put at our disposal.
Mr. Chairman,Eritrea, as a coastal State with more than 3300 kilometers long mainland and island coast, more than 350islands, about 50,000 square kilometers of territorial
waters, combined territorial waters and Exclusive
Economic Zone nearly the same size as its land mass,
recognizes the need for prudent, effective and Eritrea has developed capacity to effectively maintainthe security of its territorial waters, thereby making
integrated maritime governance.
enormous contribution to the security and stability of
Our seas and oceans hold enormous potential for one of the busiest sea lanes.
improving the standard of life of our populations andfor developing our economies as envisaged in While prioritizing the protection of its diverse marine
Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the global Sustainable ecosystem, Eritrea is putting efforts to increase theDevelopment Goals (SDGs). Coastal and island com- benefits drawn from its rich marine resources. The
munities depend on the seas and oceans for their live- Eritrean Government is also developing the nation’slihood. The importance of maritime transport to inter- human resources, and expanding and modernizing thenational trade cannot be over emphasized, as up to port facilities to meet national and regional demand.
90% of word trade is transported by sea. Our seas and Mr. Chairman,
oceans are home to rich flora, fauna and mineral
resources that can contribute towards ensuring food Eritrea recognizes the need to deploy collective
security and the transformation of our economies. efforts in maritime governance, to enhance nationalendeavors. It is in this vein that Eritrea welcomes theThey are also major tourist attractions.
holding of this Extraordinary Summit dedicated toMr. Chairman,
maritime issues, as well as the preparation of the draft
Sustainable utilization of marine resources depend on Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Developputting in place sound policies, institutions and infra- ment.
structure capable of curbing international crimes such My Delegation commends the work undertaken toas piracy; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; draft the Charter in a short period of time. However,human and drug trafficking; terrorism, and on equip- we have noticed that the ambitious objectives andping ourselves with the tools required to harness the scope of the current draft has not been matched by its
resources in order to meet our nations’ development contents. It is also critical to align the provisions ofobjectives. We should also remain vigilant of the the draft Charter with existing African and United
ongoing scramble by external forces for African coast Nations legal instruments governing maritime issues.
and territorial waters.
Taking these into account, my Delegation welcomesthe consensus reached to continue refining the CharterMr. Chairman,
and accompany it with sector-specific annexes.
Although located in the volatile southern Red Sea,
Thank you!
Vol 3. Issue 56, 20 October 2016

Page 3Eri-News

Eritrea Awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Immunization
Eritrea received an award for outstanding achievement in the Expanded Program on Immunization(EPI).
The award organized by WHO and UNICEF was
handed over at a Conference held in the first week of
September 2016 in Entebbe, Uganda, in which 22
countries from the Horn and Southern Africa participated.

The achievements Eritrea has registered in the vaccination programs is a result of the strong commitment
on the part of the government and the active participation of the public.
It is to be recalled that Eritrea received awards forhigh immunization coverage in 2009 and for efficiency in controlling measles in 2012.

Eritrea Expecting a Bumper Harvest
The Minister of Agriculture of Eritrea, Mr. Arefaine
Berhe, disclosed that thanks to the above average
rainfall registered in most parts of the country, Eritrea
is expecting a very good harvest.

The Minister made the statement during thecommemoration of the World Food Day held on 16October 2016 in the Hamelmalo College of Agriculture under the theme "Climate is Changing Food andAgriculture must too."Highlighting that this year's theme could not be more
appropriate for Eritrea, Minister Arefaine pointed outthat Eritrea is situated in the Sahelian part of Africa
and thus the rains are usually insufficient anderratic. Hence, for Eritrea, climate-smart agriculture isa matter of survival, he added. The Minister stressedthat is precisely why Eritrea takes very seriously soil
and water conservation, in general and water harvesting in particular.

Vol 3. Issue 56, 20 October 2016

Page 4Eri-NewsEritrea Committed to Addressing Migration Comprehensively
Speaking at the 67th Session of the Executive
Committee (EXCOM) of the UN High Commissionerfor Refugees (UNHCR) held in Geneva from 3-8
October 2016, Ambassador Tesfamicael Gerahtu, theHead of the Eritrean Delegation to the Session, reaffirmed Eritrea’s commitment to sustain its ongoinginternal development dynamics and address its real
challenges including that of migration.
He also underscored that Eritrea will continue to contribute and cooperate in the strengthening of a viable
system for the governance of migration and refugees The full text of the Statement is available at: http://www.shabait.com/news/local-news/22709--eritreanat the global level.
delegation-statement-Eritrea Participated at the 39th Session of the ICAO Assembly
An Eritrean Delegation led by Mr. Paulos Kahsay, theDirector General of the Civil Aviation Authority,
participated at the 39th Assembly of the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that took place inMontreal, Canada from 27 September to 7 October
2016.

The Session was held under the theme ‘Working
Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind!’
The Assembly established the worldwide policy ofthe organization for the upcoming triennium andadopted the first ever global market-based measuresby any industry sector covering CO2 emissions frominternational activity.
Moreover, the Assembly reviewed ICAO’s work planin the technical, economic, legal and technical cooperation fields, as well as elected 36 new members ofthe Council for 2017-2019 period.

Russia Granted Postgraduate Scholarship to 25 Eritrean YouthThe Government of the Russian Federation granted
scholarship to twenty five Eritrean youth to continue
their studies in Master’s and PhD levels in Russian
Universities in the fields of Geology, Neurosurgery,Physics and Astronomy, Agro-Engineering, andMedicine.
Eritrea and Russia agreed to strengthen their cooperation in the education sector during a meeting held in
Moscow in June 2014 between the Ministers ofForeign Affairs of the two countries. The first batchof five postgraduate students are already pursuingtheir studies in Russian Universities since 2015.
Vol 3. Issue 56, 20 October 2016