Ethiopia is to celebrate her new millennium and the 17th anniversary of the overthrow of the military regime in that country on May 28, 2008.

The 17th Anniversary is to commemorate the unilateral decision by the Ethiopian people to wage an intensive and relentless struggle that led to the collapse of military rule, under which many suffered inequalities, injustice and other forms of human rights abuses, the Ethiopian Embassy said in Accra on Tuesday.

On the eve of the year 2000, when most of the world heralded the dawn of the second millennium, Ethiopia was quiet because its own new millennium, according to the country's calendar, which differs from the Gregorian one, is eight years behind time.

Thus the United Nations General Assembly has renamed this year as “The year of the Ethiopian Millennium”. The celebrations are expected to last a year.

Ethiopia's Ambassador to Ghana, Cham Ugala Uriat, said the government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and its people all over the globe were currently undertaking a series of activities including planting of over 600 million trees, erecting statutes for people of Africa, establishing a coffee museum in the southern part of that country, where coffee originated and many more activities for a successful celebration.

Uriat told a pres conference that the African Union had recognized the Ethiopian Millennium as a “unique occasion of Africa”, because that was the day on which Ethiopians realized a sense of nationalism and their culture as a people belonging to one country.

He explained that as a result of the overthrow of military rule “Nowadays we have internal peace and security, and the prevalence of the rule of law.

“We have become one of the countries that are investment and business friendly. And as a result of this, over the past five years our country's economy has exhibited double digit growth”. The Ambassador stated that Ethiopians were celebrating their millennium with greater enthusiasm and commitment to strengthen the ongoing democratization and development process.

The event, he said, “would enable Ethiopians to identify their weaknesses in the previous millennium, create a national consensus to close down the gloomy chapter once and for all, and prepare for a better future, in which they would establish a robust democratic and prosperous country”.

Uriat recalled the cordial relations that existed between Ethiopia and Ghana and called for a further strengthening of economic ties between them.

He said Ethiopia had the potential to export meat, leather and leather products, horticulture, coffee, spices, tea, wine, gold jewellery and sugar to Ghana, while Ghana could also export its products like cocoa, rubber, timber, aluminium and oil to feed Ethiopian industries.

“Maintaining the status quo of the existing good political relations between Ethiopia and Ghana and fostering economic ties between the business communities of the two countries remain essential as a commitment of the New Ethiopian Millennium,” he added.
Source: Accra Mail - Accra Mail