State Minister Tsion Hold Talks with IOM Regional Director

Addis Ababa May 28/2021 (ENA) State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tsion Teklu, held talks with IOM Regional Director for East and Horn of Africa, Mohammed Abdiker on Thursday.

During the discussion, the two sides exchanged views on addressing the multifaceted problems related to irregular migration in the East and the Horn of Africa.

The State Minister explained the efforts made by the Government of Ethiopia and concerned bodies to repatriate Ethiopian migrants stranded in various Middle Eastern countries.

Since the issue of irregular migration involves a chain of traffickers, the destination countries should cooperate on the efforts to curb the problem from its roots, she added.

Tsion noted that “it is critical to create collaboration mechanisms among various government bodies in Ethiopia.”

Tsion stated that Ethiopia has signed labor agreements with some destination countries and talks are underway to finalize the agreements with some others.

They also discussed on the issue of internally displace people (IDPs) in Ethiopia and the State Minister gave explanations on the situations in Tigray, in particular, the efforts of the federal government to address the needs of IDPs

She urged IOM to report on the issue refraining from politicizing it, the way some organizations do it.

Mohammed Abdiker said on his part that he had visited Mekelle with the aim of assessing the needs and to chart out plans for non-food item support to those in need in the region.

IOM is extending support to IDPs and facilitating safe and dignified return to irregular migrants who found themselves in difficult situations, he added.

Moreover, he said protecting and support is being provided to migrants who chose not to return to their countries of origin.