Extraordinary And Plenipotentiary Diplomatist July 19 Edition . | Page 47

AFRICA DIARY
SPEECH BY
H.E. MR. ALEM TSEHAYE WOLDEMARIAM,
DEAN OF AFRICA GROUP OF HEADS OF MISSION
AND AMBASSADOR OF ERITREA,
ON THE OCCASION OF AFRICA DAY -
25TH MAY 2019, TAJ PALACE, NEW DELHI
H.E. Mr. Vijay Gokhale, Foreign Secretary, Ministry
of External Aff airs (MEA), Government of India
H.E. Dr. Neena Malhotra, Joint Secretary Eastern and
Southern Africa, MEA
All Joint Secretaries from Diff erent Divisions of MEA
Present
Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners
Friends of Africa Present
Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the African Heads of Missions in New
Delhi, I take this opportunity to welcome you all on this very
auspicious celebration of Africa Day. Allow me Chief Guest,
Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of all African Heads of
Missions in Delhi to Congratulate Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the BJP party for the overwhelming victory in
the Lok-Sabha elections. We are confi dent that the relations
between Africa and India will now move to the next level.
We share the Indian people’s excitement in celebrating this
victory and we wish you well as you peruse your economic
and social goals in the years to come.
As for all of us who are here today, I thank you for taking
time to celebrate the occasion of Africa Day with us as well
to commemorate the Anniversary of the creation of the
Organization of African Unity ( OAU) on 25th May 1963 in
Addis Ababa which has evolved into the African Union (AU).
Africa Day 2019 is being celebrated in furtherance of
the Africa Union’s Theme. “Year of Refugees, returnees and
internally displaced persons: towards durable solutions for
forcibly displaced persons in Africa”
Forced displacement remains a major challenge
confronting Africa. More than a third of the world’s forcibly
displaced people are in Africa including 6.3 million refugees
and asylum seekers and 14.5 million internally displaced
people.
This occasion presents us with an opportunity to mobilize
our eff orts and resources to deal with migration. The AU has
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 7 • July 2019, Noida • 47