High-Level Meetings on Ethiopia

Office of the Spokesperson

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Ned Price:

Today, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with African Union High Representative Olusegun Obasanjo to discuss the crisis in Ethiopia.  Following their discussion, the Secretary, accompanied by U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman, hosted a meeting with High Representative Obasanjo, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, EU High Representative Josep Borrell, UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss, German Minister of the Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen, and French Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Frederic Clavier to discuss the conflict.  They welcomed the close coordination between the African Union and IGAD in pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

The United States, the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom urged the parties to immediately end abuses and enter into negotiations toward a ceasefire to lay the foundation for a broader and inclusive dialogue to restore peace in Ethiopia and preserve the unity of the Ethiopian state.  They also called on the parties to the conflict to adhere to international law and allow unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance to all who are suffering in Ethiopia.