Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on strengthening democracy in that country.

I most recently spoke with the Ethiopian State Minister of Foreign Affairs on 23 January. We discussed the political situation in Ethiopia, the rehabilitation process and the role that religious groups are playing. We also discussed the increasing activity of civil society groups, and I welcome the passing of a new civil society law on 7 February. This built on my discussions with the State Minister of Finance during the annual UK–Ethiopia Aid Talks last October, when I offered the UK’s support to Government efforts to establish a new legislative platform which underpins democracy. Our support is strengthening the capacity of the Attorney General’s Office, which is leading the reform agenda. We have also supported consultation with civil society groups across Ethiopia on the new civil society legislation.

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