Finland: Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to visit Ethiopia as the EU representative

NordenBladet — High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has mandated Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto to visit Ethiopia and its neighbouring regions as the EU representative. Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto will travel to the Horn of Africa within the next few weeks. During the visit he will discuss the situation in Ethiopia and its neighbouring regions and ways how the international community could provide support in finding peaceful solutions. The topics to be discussed also include the humanitarian situation in the National Regional State of Tigray in Ethiopia. The European External Action Service and Finland will communicate on the matter in more detail as the visit approaches.

Minister Haavisto has been requested to meet different actors and bring messages from the European Union concerning the situation in Ethiopia to the authorities and relevant stakeholders. Minister Haavisto will travel to the region together with Alexander Rondos, the EU Special Representative to the Horn of Africa. Minister Haavisto will report on the visit to the 27 Member States at the Foreign Affairs Council.

“In the past few months we have followed the conflict in the Tigray Region in Ethiopia very closely. Information on the consequences of the armed conflicts has been scarce and we are very much worried especially about the humanitarian situation. At the request of the High Representative, I will travel to the region soon and bring a message to end violence,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto says.

This is the second time when an EU High Representative has requested Minister for Foreign Affairs to represent the EU. In 2019 Minister Haavisto visited the Horn of Africa with a similar mandate.