ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA— His Majesty the King has said the success of the African Union Agenda 2063 and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 lies in the degree of unity among member nations.
He stated that this unity must be used to transform countries and achieve the aspirations of the continental and global visions.
While the existence of common goals is encouraging, he cautions that countries working in isolation can achieve very little.
The King was speaking in a brief interview yesterday during a visit to the Ethiopia National Palace, where he paid a courtesy call to the president of Ethiopia, Tate Atske Selassie.
He was accompanied to the palace by Foreign Affairs Minister Pholile Shakantu, Liqoqo member Prince David, Eswatini Ambassador to AU, Mahlaba Mamba, and the King’s Private Secretary Mbongeni Simelane.
During the visit, President Selassie took His Majesty on a guided tour of the Palace Museum after their talks, where political and social historical artefacts are on display.
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The King was very impressed with the collection and wrote a congratulatory message in the visitor’s book saying, “Thanks for keeping the history of the emperor alive and I hope many will come to learn this history.”
During an interview with state media after the tour, the king expressed his appreciation for finding time to visit the president on the sideline of the 38th African Union Summit,
where leaders are gathered to find lasting solutions to the challenges facing the people of this continent and setting out plans to develop member countries in order to improve people’s lives.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Pholile Shakantu and Prince David.
He said it is very important that leaders work together to transform Africa and give its people a better place to live.
He highlighted the fact that there is an Agenda 2063, which is being implemented in conjunction with UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which countries are committed to for impactful positive change.
“At the Summit, all African leaders have reaffirmed their commitment to working together; unity is essential as it leads to greater success, whereas isolation can limit our progress.
Therefore, we are looking forward to strengthening cooperation between our countries,” he said.
His Majesty said he had not been to Ethiopia for some time now, but since his return, he has been extremely impressed to see how much work the government and the people of this country have put into the development of infrastructure, technology, and many other areas.
“I have seen significant improvement, and I wish to congratulate the people of this country for coming together and making things work for the country,” said the King.
He thanked the president for the meeting and the tour of the palace built by Emperor Haile Selassie, which has a lot of rich history.
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“The palace is bringing back all the positive things that the emperor has done over many years, and one notable part of this history is the transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was done in this particular palace,” he said.
The king was shown where the heads of state, who would come for a meeting in Ethiopia, would meet for the conference and dine.
“We are very pleased that the Emperor did not just think of Ethiopians but of the whole of Africa. It is good that the history of the emperor is revived so that many people from Ethiopia and beyond would know what he has done for this country,” he said.
The president also appreciated His Majesty’s visit and expressed a desire to see relations between the two nations grow stronger.
