Turkey is supporting every path that leads to peace and stability in Ethiopia, Ankara’s Ambassador to Addis Ababa Yaprak Alp said amid the ongoing Tigray conflict in the country.
Speaking to the Ethiopia News Agency (ENA), Alp on Saturday said Turkey welcomes the national dialogue process that has been started recently.
Highlighting that both countries have supported each other during difficult times, Alp said: "We welcome all initiatives toward peace and stability in Ethiopia. We are also glad that this is happening now and hope that the conflict will end very soon for all our brothers and sisters."
Turkey has frequently voiced it is in touch with all sides in Ethiopia to urge negotiations.
Ethiopia's war broke out in November 2020 when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed sent troops into Tigray to topple the TPLF, which controls most of Tigray, a move he said came in response to TPLF attacks on army camps.
The Tigray region of some 6 million people has been largely blockaded by Ethiopia’s government since June of last year as authorities claim that humanitarian aid or other supplies could be used in support of the Tigray forces.
The grinding conflict has left thousands dead and forced many others to flee their homes with hundreds of thousands driven to the brink of starvation, according to the United Nations.
Foreign envoys have been pushing hard for a cease-fire and expanded aid access to conflict-hit areas while Addis Ababa blames rebel incursions for the supplies shortage.
Alp said that the aid efforts of Turkish nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are continuing while support for water and agriculture projects was ongoing.
The Turkish envoy underlined that the two countries have also been cooperating in political, economic and business areas, among other multifaceted spheres.
"Turkey has been a friend to every Ethiopian in this huge and beautiful country and one of the matters we are also trying to address with this beautiful country is development assistance," Alp said.
Alp was quoted by Fana as saying that the Turkish government also has a very important task to do with the federal government of Ethiopia and regional states to see where assistance is needed. "In the very near future we will do something as well."
Ethiopia and Turkey enjoy a friendship and all-around cooperation. Turkey opened its first embassy in sub-Saharan Africa in 1926 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. Over the years, the two governments have extended numerous high-level visits that produced very important outcomes that helped expedite the development of joint cooperation on both sides. The landlocked country in the Horn of Africa has become a primary destination for Turkish investors on the continent.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has voiced on many occasions that Turkey wants to deepen its ties with African nations.
Turkey's engagement with Africa dates back to the adoption of an action plan in 1998, but relations really took shape in 2005 when Ankara declared it the "Year of Africa." Turkey was accorded observer status by the African Union (AU) the same year. In a reciprocal move, the AU declared Turkey its strategic partner in 2008, with relations between the continent and Turkey gaining momentum when the first Turkey-Africa Cooperation Summit was held in the commercial capital Istanbul with the participation of representatives from 50 African countries that year.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy attended the third Turkey-Africa summit in Istanbul where he praised the "historic relations" between the two countries.
In December, Ethiopian Defense Minister Abraham Belay met with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar who, according to Ethiopia’s state news network Fana Broadcasting, had briefed him about "Turkish success in defense technology."
Ethiopia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Redwan Hussein also praised Turkey for "becoming a true ally and friend at an important time" but did not elaborate on the type of support received.