EPDP Information Office
A delegation of the Eritrean People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) on Tuesday, 19 November 2014, held extensive discussions with senior officials of the Swiss Social Democratic Party and with the Swiss Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
The EPDP delegation availed itself in Bern upon a formal invitation from the Swiss capital to exchange notes with concerned organs of the Swiss Social Democratic Party as well as for updating the Swiss Federal authorities on the ever worsening situation in Eritrea.
Consisting of EPDP’s head for foreign relations, Mr. Woldeyesus Ammar, and Swiss branch leadership members Messrs. Tesfagaber Ghebre and Fitwi Kifle, the Eritrean delegation raised many hot issues that it wished to be addressed by Switzerland in close cooperation with other countries and multi-lateral organizations. The delegation also submitted memoranda: one to the SP/PS president, Mr. Christian Levrat, and in the afternoon meeting at the Foreign Ministry, to the Swiss Foreign Minister and current President of the country, Mr. Didier Burkhalter.
The meeting in the morning hours was conducted with the International Secretariat of Switzerland’s second largest party, well known by its acronyms of SP in the German and Romansh speaking cantons (Socialdemokratische Partei) and PS (Parti Socialiste; Partito Socialista) in the French and Italian speaking cantons.
In the first meeting, the EPDP delegation urged the SP/PS leadership to push the Federal Swiss Government to make active and effective involvement in helping Eritrea and its people to come out of the critical situation they are in. The Swiss party was also asked to initiate a wider discussion of the problem in Eritrea as well as the general situation in the Greater Horn of Africa region at a special meeting of the Progressive Alliance, of which both SP/PS and EPDP are members, with the aim of addressing the ongoing ‘failed state’ phenomenon.
General issues considered at both the meetings with the SP/PS and, in the afternoon session, with the Foreign Ministry included discussion on the ever worsening situation inside Eritrea; areas on which pressure should be exerted; and what joint regional and international measures could taken to improve the lot of the Eritrean refugees in the Horn of Africa region and those already in Switzerland. In particular, the EPDP delegation earnestly requested that the recently formed coordination body of Eritrean political and civil society groups in Switzerland be approached for consultation and joint work to help young Eritreans in Switzerland who have no adequate education background to fit to the new environment they are in.
Excerpts from the memorandum to the Swiss Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs can summarize the gist of the issued proposed for action at the level of Switzerland.
1. Exerting Pressure on the Asmara regime
2. Normalization of relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia
3. Active support for Eritrean refugees in the Horn, and in Switzerland
4. Assist in bringing about a positive change in Eritrea