Statement by H.E. Mr. Osman Saleh

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea during the
General Debate of the 71st Session of the United Nations  General Assembly
26 September  2016, New York

Mr President, Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year  the people  of Eritrea  have been  celebrating the  silver jubilee  of their country’s independence since 1991. During the difficult years of the war for independence, very  few people  believed that  Eritreans  and  their  leadership were capable of this historic achievement as the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against them. Unlike in other liberation struggles, it was both superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, and not one or the other, who sought to crush by armed force their aspirations for self-determination. But the Eritrean people and their liberation movement, the Eritrean people’s Liberation Front, the predecessor of today’s People’s Front for Democracy and Justice, believed in the  justness of their cause and in their own determination and capability to win the war fair and square, to prevail in an unequal battle.

The  post-independence  struggle  for  nation-building  too  has  been  complex  and difficult. We have been compelled to commit precious human and economic resources to defend ourselves against wars of aggression and subversion.  Read more

Confucius Institute’s Mid-Autumn Festival

Confucius Institute, a school of Chinese Language and Culture based in Eritrea, has organized a cultural show depicting the culture of the people of the PRC. The show was organized in connection with the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Read more

Statement by Mr. Yemane Gebreab Special Political Advisor to the President of the State of Eritrea

During the High Level Meeting on Large Movement of Migrants and Refugees, New York 19 September 2016

Mr. Chairman,

Excellencies,

Eritrea has played an active role in the preparations for this “Summit for Refugees and Migrants” because we believe it is an issue of vital importance for all peoples and nations of the world.

In Eritrea’s view, our goals must be:-

1. To agree on the need and importance of, and provide meaningful avenues for, legal, safe and regular migration. It really is incongruous that in an increasingly globalized world, where much is done to advance the movement of goods and finance, human mobility is stridently opposed and essentially blocked. This needs to change as much of the current crisis and suffering could be significantly reduced by means of safe and orderly migration. Read more