TEHRAN (Iran News) Qalibaf, who has traveled to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, at the head of a parliamentary delegation to develop bilateral relations, met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on Friday.

“The rich culture of the two countries and Ethiopia’s strategic location in East Africa provide a unique opportunity to expand cooperation in the economic, scientific and technological fields. We should use the potential of the BRICS group to develop bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation, and Addis Ababa can become an air transport hub in this region,” he added.

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Media reports said more than 10,000 demonstrators took part in the mass rally on Sunday.

The pro-government demonstrators carried placards written in English, Arabic and Amharic, urging Washington not to meddle in the country’s affairs.

“Hands off Ethiopia”, “USA show us your neutrality”, and “Ethiopia doesn’t need a caretaker,” were among the protesters’ demands as reflected in some of the banners.

“I came here to show my support … to denounce the restrictions put on Ethiopia by America,” said Nejash Sheba, a 23-year old Addis Ababa trader and member of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party.

Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abebe told demonstrators present at the Sunday rally that the nation will never give in to Washington’s illegitimate demands.

“We will never kneel down. The preconditions and travel restrictions by the US and its allies are completely unacceptable. It needs to be corrected,” he said in an address to the rally organized by the Ministry of Youth.

Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea sent troops into Tigray in November after accusing the once-dominant regional ruling party, TPLF, of launching attacks on Ethiopian federal army troops based in the region.

Rights groups and aid organizations who made their way into Tigray reported that the troops had committed violations and massacres in the region.

The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned last week that Tigray was facing a horrifying situation with people dying of hunger and poor health.

“The situation in Tigray, Ethiopia, is, if I use one word, horrific. Very horrific,” Ghebreyesus, who himself hails from the region said at a press conference. “Many people have started dying actually because of hunger, and severe and acute malnutrition is becoming rampant,” he said.

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According To Iran News, Ethiopia proposes to hold its national vote on Aug. 16, the electoral board said on Wednesday, the first poll under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who has eased political restrictions and taken steps to open the economy since taking office in 2018.

Ethiopia’s 100 million people are seeing unprecedented political change, but Abiy’s reforms have also uncorked ethnic rivalries that have spilled into violence.

Plans to hold the vote for parliament and regional councils in May had been postponed as neither authorities nor parties would be ready, electoral board head Birtukan Mideksa told a meeting of political parties and civil society groups.

The new Aug. 16 date is tentative, she told Reuters. Results would be due between Aug. 17-26.

One opposition political party said Aug. 16 was unsuitable because it is a fasting day for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and falls during the rainy season.

“There are concerns that need to be resolved and addressed specifically on the schedule,” said Desalegn Chane, president of the opposition National Movement of Amhara.

Ethiopia has held regular parliamentary elections since the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) took power in 1991 but, with one exception, none were competitive.

The EPRDF appointed Abiy, 43, in 2018 after three years of anti-government protests. Among the achievements of his first year in office was peace with longtime foe and neighbor Eritrea, for which Abiy was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His promised reforms include a credible multi-party poll in 2020.

In November, the ruling coalition approved a merger of three of its four ethnic-based parties into a single national party as part of Abiy’s efforts to unite the country.

Abiy has freed journalists and activists, lifted bans on political parties, appointed former dissidents to high-level posts and prosecuted officials for rights abuses.

But violence in the regions has forced 2.4 million people out of their homes, according to the United Nations, and delayed both a national census and local elections. Opposition politicians have repeatedly warned that election delays could fuel unrest and dent the democratic credentials of Abiy.

William Davison, Ethiopia analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank, said the opposition could pose a real challenge to the ruling party.

“An overall majority for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s party is by no means guaranteed, especially if the opposition is allowed to freely campaign,” Davison said.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed collected the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Tuesday, appealing for unity as ethnic violence flares in his country and reconciliation efforts with neighboring former foe Eritrea have stalled, AFP reported.

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The crash of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 in a rural area southeast of Addis Ababa was shocking, especially since the crash came a few months after another Boeing 737 MAX 8 went down in the Java Sea just after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia, in October, killing all 189 aboard.

According to Bloomberg, China Southern Airlines Co. has 16 of the aircraft, with another 34 on order, according to data on Boeing’s website updated through January. China Eastern Airlines Corp. has 13, while Air China Ltd. has 14, Boeing says. Other Chinese airlines to have bought the Max include Hainan Airlines Holdings Co. and Shandong Airlines Co., the data show.

Cayman Airways also grounded its two Boeing 737 MAX planes until more information about the crash emerges. Its CEO Fabian Whorms said that the airline stands by “our commitment to putting the safety of our passengers and crew first by maintaining complete and undoubtable safe operations.”

Ethiopian Airlines later also released a statement saying that it had decided to ground all Boeing 737 MAX planes, Sputnik reported.

Boeing earlier said it was preparing to send a technical team to assist the accident investigation of the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which was delivered new in November to Africa’s biggest carrier. It is also said it is postponing the “external debut” of its 777X model and related media events scheduled for this week because of the accident. There is no change to the plane’s schedule or progress, Boeing spokesmen said following the announcement.

The US Federal Aviation Administration, which originally certified the 737 MAX, declined to add to its earlier statement saying it is “closely monitoring developments” in the Ethiopian investigation.

The Boeing 737 MAX has been flying for less than two years and is a best-seller for the Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer. According to company data, Boeing has delivered 350 MAX jets to airlines around the world since May 2017, while another 4,661 were on order as of January.

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