The European Union (EU) cannot remain silent about the TPLF’s destruction and killings in Amhara and Afar and should hold it accountable for obstructing humanitarian assistance to millions of citizens, said Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen.

In a meeting with the ambassadors in this capital of Germany, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Sweden, he assured that Ethiopia is very disappointed by the attitude of the EU in relation to the belligerence of the Front.

That position and the refusal of the EU and the international community to openly recognize the humanitarian armistice decreed by the government unilaterally embolden the clique, he added.

Mekonnen, also foreign minister, considered unbalanced that the EU is threatening to impose sanctions on Ethiopia, based on investigations of human rights violations, instead of taking action against the alleged perpetrators.

He also reiterated the government’s readiness to facilitate humanitarian aid to Tigray and recounted actions by the TPLF to defeat that purpose, including an operation that aborted the landing of a UN humanitarian flight in Mekele, the state capital.

He also called on member countries of the European organization to extend support to Amhara and Afar, and to support efforts to ensure Ethiopia’s sovereignty and integrity.

pgh/abo/mem/raj