Public Diplomacy Team Urged to Contribute to Safe Return of Ethiopians

tkusnews.com

Image from, under the headline: "Thousands of Ethiopians returning home from Saudi Arabia"

Addis Ababa May 30/2017 The Ethiopian Public Diplomacy Team was urged to contribute its share to the safe return of illegal Ethiopian migrants from Saudi Arabia.

In a discussion he held here today with the Public Diplomacy Team drawn from various sections of the society, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu said bringing the Ethiopians within the remaining 28 days before the deadline needs more collaboration, oblivious of political, religion and other issues.

According to the minister, up to 500,000 Ethiopians are living in Saudi Arabia without the proper documents and they should be encouraged and persuaded to come back home.

Despite the intensive efforts of the government, including face-to-face to discussion, the slow response of the migrants demands more collaborative efforts of mobilization using various mechanisms, he underlined.

The Public Diplomacy Team can play many roles as it comprises influential figures and contributed a lot to bridge the people-to-people relations with Sudan and Egypt in relation to creating understanding about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Members of the team were keen to help and raised questions as to how they can support the effort in a sustainable manner.

The Minister, who appreciated their willingness, said areas will be identified and communicated to the Public Diplomacy Team soon.