It will be a wrong decision and will not take into account the US commitment to value ordinary citizens´ welfare, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

On Tuesday, at Congress, President Joe Biden expressed his intention to abrogate Ethiopian participation in the AGOA from 2022.

Removing Ethiopia from AGOA will affect the livelihoods of over 200,000 low-income families and one million people, the Foreign Ministry warned.

Ethiopians expect an impartial assessment of the situation and humanitarian support from the international community and the United States.

“Unjustified intimidation to endanger the economic livelihoods of innocent citizens, which we believe is driven by Ethiopia’s enemies, will not provide a peaceful solution to the conflict.”

Ethiopian government “is deeply appalled that the United States does not adequately recognize the efforts made to address concerns about humanitarian aid and human rights issues.”

Eliminating tax-free agreement will not ease the situation, the foreign ministry said, while urging the United States to reverse its decision, “which may embolden the terrorist group and jeopardize Ethiopians’ aspirations to get out of poverty.”

mh/pll/msm/raj