President Joe Biden is sending one of his closest allies in the U.S. Senate -- his hometown Senator Chris Coons of Delaware -- to Ethiopia where he will meet with Prime Minster Abiy Ahmed and officials from the African Union over several days to discuss the situation in Tigray, according to Foreign Policy magazine. Coons is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairman of the powerful Senate appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for diplomacy and foreign-aid programs. (Getty Images)
Biden Dispatches Senate Ally to Ethiopia to Address Crisis
Foreign Policy
Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, once a top contender to be Biden’s secretary of state, is departing on a temporary diplomatic mission to meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to address the crisis in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray.
Coons is expected to depart on Thursday for Ethiopia, where he will meet with Abiy and officials from the African Union over several days to discuss the situation in Tigray, according to a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity…
Coons told Foreign Policy in a statement: “I look forward to engaging with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and conveying the President’s concern,” he said.
Read the full article at foreignpolicy.com »
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Press Release
White House
Updated: March 18th, 2021
Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE) Travel to Ethiopia
Senator Christopher Coons is traveling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to meet with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali at President Biden’s request. Senator Coons will convey President Biden’s grave concerns about the humanitarian crisis and human rights abuses in the Tigray region and the risk of broader instability in the Horn of Africa. He will also consult with the African Union on how to advance the region’s shared interests in peace and prosperity.
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Related:
UPDATE: U.N. Rights Chief Agrees to Ethiopia Request for Joint Tigray Inquiry
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