• Ethiopian premier offered lavish praise for the crown prince of Abu Dhabi

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he offered to mediate between the United Arab Emirates and Israel during an official visit to Israel on October 20, 2019.

In an interview with an entertainment talk show host, Seifu Fantahun held in connection with the Ethiopian Christmas, Abiy recalled a meeting he had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last year. « When I was with prime minister Netanyahu, we talked about the regional issue,” said Abiy. “And I told him about Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, (the ruler of the United Arab Emirates) and how a good and wise leader he was. I told him that I could arrange a meeting between them if he was interested to meet him. Ethiopia could play a role in hosting the talks,” Abiy said.

Abiy quoted his Israeli counterpart as responding, « Just by looking at images of Abu Dabi, you could tell that he is a brilliant leader. »  But Abiy did not say if Netanyahu accepted the offer or not.

The UAE does not recognize Israel as a state, and the two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations. However, Netanyahu and senior officials have in recent months talked of secret ties with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to reports.

This is not the first time Abiy Ahmed offered to serve as a mediator between two feuding countries. Last year, he also offered his mediation to settle a diplomatic spat between Abu Dhabi and Somalia, in what is seen as an effort to place himself and his country at the top of the Mideast diplomatic order.

Abiy spoke of his admiration for Abu Dhabi’s crown prince and described him as a great leader and generous supporter during an interview with the Seifu show. « We have talked a number of times about world affairs, politics, future technology. He has an amazing perspective. And his generous financial support. During the past year, UAE has done a tremendous lot for the Ethiopian government. For example, he (the Crown Prince) has extended for us a year’s supply of fuel with payment delayed for 12 months. We were supposed to pay every three months. This was with no interest, which means a lot to us to ease a foreign exchange problem. »

In addition to this, the oil-rich Gulf state is implementing around 30 -40 projects to maintain the supply of clean drinking water in the Afar region and Bale, Abiy said.  

A month after taking office, Abiy visited the UAE capital to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Nine days later, the Crown Prince came to Addis Ababa for what was described as “a bilateral meeting,” and announced a $3 billion support package.

Image: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, and Abiy Ahmed, tour the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.