Araweelo News Network.

#Jeffrey @Feltman the first #US #diplomat to visit #Asmara in several years

Asmara(ANN)-The newly appointed US envoy to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, has arrived in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, for the first time in years, becoming the first diplomat to visit the country.

According to the state-run Shabait News Paper, the Eritrean capital, Asmara, the hour-long meeting with Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman and diplomats led by Isaias Afwerki took place at the Denden Guest House.

There was no official word on the outcome of the meeting, but Eritrean state media reported that President Isaias Afwerki had underlined that Eritrea was ready to work with the United States. Contribute to efforts to solve problems in the Horn of Africa.

State media added that the US Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, briefed Isaias Afwerki on the new US administration’s vision for the Horn of Africa.

According to the press release, the meeting was attended by Mr. Osman Saleh, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Adviser to the President Yemane Gebreab.

 

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent his special envoy to the Horn of Africa on Tuesday to defuse tensions in the region that have caused widespread fear in the world.

In a statement, Blinken said Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman will visit Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Sudan on May 13.

 

The special envoy will meet with officials from those governments, as well as the United Nations and the African Union, as well as political stakeholders and humanitarian groups, Blinken said.

David Shinn, a former US ambassador to Ethiopia and a leading expert on the Horn of Africa region, told VOA that Feltman’s trip to Eritrea on Monday was important because “it is the first time in years.” “A senior US official is allowed to meet with senior Eritrean officials.”

But David Shinn, speaking on Eritrea’s stubbornness, said, “If they do not return to Eritrea, I think there will be a growing tendency for the United States to view Eritrea as one of the nations in the Horn of Africa,” Shinn said. At the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

The move comes as new US President Joe Biden puts pressure on Ethiopia to end its conflict in the Tigray region, which has been embroiled in conflict.

U.S. officials have also called for the withdrawal of allied Eritrean troops from the region, although the Eritrean government has ignored calls and pressure to withdraw its troops from Tigray, which has been plagued by genocide and humanitarian crises since the war erupted in November 2020, when Ethiopian Federal Government forces with the help of Eritrean troops seized control of the region and overthrew the Tigray administration of the TPLF, which is in a guerrilla war.

U.S. Special Envoy Jeffrey Feltman, a longtime diplomat, was a U.S. foreign service officer for over 26 years, focusing largely on the Middle East and North Africa. Feltman was the assistant foreign secretary and was appointed on April 23 to address regional issues.

Araweelo News Network

info@araweelonews.com