My wife, Asegedetch Amberber, and my dedicated staff at the Ethiopian Embassy in London join me in transmitting our heart-felt wishes to Ethiopians in the United Kingdom and to British friends of Ethiopia celebrating Christmas and ushering in the New Year.

It has been a very productive year for the Embassy as we, for the first time, opened the facilities of the Embassy for use by the Ethiopian community following Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s pledge to “open up our Embassies to the communities they serve.” Numerous social and community gatherings were held, and I would like to reassure my compatriots that the Embassy is committed to continuing to serve as a gathering place for our community in the new year.

In March 2019, I chaired my maiden meeting with the Community in the UK, with 1,200 Ethiopians braving the cold weather to participate in the Town Hall event. I was encouraged by the sense of patriotism and concern I witness from attendees and am very keen to further enhance my engagement with the Diaspora in 2020.

My work in consolidating the vibrant and productive relations my country enjoys both with Her Majesty’s Government and the people of the British Isles would not have been possible without the excellent cooperation we enjoy with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the House of Commons All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethiopia and a growing galaxy of British businesses and institutions. I therefore want to avail myself of this goodwill occasion to assure that I will continue to be at your disposal in the year ahead.

2020 will be a milestone year for Ethiopia as we will be holding a historical free and fair election as the culmination of the transformation Ethiopia has undergone over the last two years.

With this in mind, I wish you all joy, health, love and peace this holiday season and beyond.