[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 126 (Thursday, July 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER DR. ABIY AHMED ALI VISIT TO LOS ANGELES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KAREN BASS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2018

  Ms. BASS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to take official note of the 
visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali to the United 
States to order to engage Ethiopian Americans in the new direction he 
plans for his country. Confirmed and sworn in just a few months ago in 
April 2018, from the time of his acceptance speech he has made clear 
his desire for political reform, unity among the peoples of Ethiopia, 
resolution of the long-standing border conflict with Eritrea, and 
engagement with opposition groups both inside and outside of Ethiopia.
  These priorities resonate strongly with the Ethiopian diaspora in the 
United States, as has his work to act on those priorities. He has 
announced political reforms, released thousands of political prisoners, 
negotiated guarantees for the release of Ethiopian prisoners in Saudi 
Arabia, and earlier this month he became the first Ethiopian leader to 
meet with an Eritrean counterpart in more than 20 years. That meeting 
resulted in the signing of a ``Joint Declaration of Peace and 
Friendship'' declaring an end to tensions, reopening direct 
telecommunications, road and aviation links, and regularizing access to 
ports.
  I am proud to represent a district that is home to thousands of 
Ethiopian-Americans, and which includes Los Angeles' Little Ethiopia 
neighborhood. Los Angeles has the second-largest concentration of 
Ethiopians outside of Addis Ababa, behind only Washington D.C. The 
University of Southern California's Galen Center, also in my district, 
will play host to the meeting.
  My constituents have proudly taken part in committees planning for 
this visit. I congratulate them, as well as the Ethiopian Foreign 
Ministry, the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Ethiopian 
Consulate in Los Angeles on what I am sure will be a successful event. 
The meetings in Washington on July 28 and in Los Angeles on July 29 are 
expected to attract tens of thousands in the Ethiopian diaspora.
  Those constituents have told me that they hope the Prime Minister's 
presence, and his message, will inspire renewed interest in learning 
about, visiting and investing in their country of origin. As Ranking 
Member of the Africa Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee, I have worked to promote economic ties between the U.S. and 
the many nations on the continent, including Ethiopia.
  I welcome the Prime Minister, and I hope this visit marks the 
beginning of an ongoing relationship with my constituents who proudly 
claim Ethiopian heritage, and who are now looking forward to 
contributing to a promising future for Ethiopia.

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