Addis Ababa September 24/2022/ENA/ Many positive developments like tree seedlings plantation in Ethiopia also benefit South Sudan, Vice President Taban Deng Gai said.
The South Sudanese Vice President, who concluded a three-day
working visit to Ethiopia yesterday, told ENA that many positive development
like the Green Legacy in Ethiopia certainly benefit South Sudan.
The “tree growing initiative of Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed is beneficial to the environment of South Sudan. They
(Ethiopian officials) are also going to supply us trees so that we could do the
same in South Sudan.”
Taban Deng Gai said that “The governments of Ethiopia have
been standing with us. The current peace agreement (Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA)) that we implemented in South Sudan (for instance) originated from Addis Ababa.”
Taban Deng Gai noted that “Ethiopia is our
big brother and sister, the big brother always takes care of the sibling and
the young one so that (s/he) may also grow stronger.”
South Sudanese are endowed with a lot of
resources, the vice president said, adding that the government believes also
that the people of Ethiopia have a right to benefit from all these resources so
that South Sudanese could also benefit from Ethiopia.
“What we have been lacking is these linkages
in terms of roads and river transport,” he said.
Speaking about the mission of the high
level delegation he headed during his visit to Djibouti earlier, the vice
president said “I have been sent by my president to explore the prospect of
making use of the port of Djibouti as it has a lot of potential. Currently it
is only serving Ethiopia and Djibouti.”
South Sudan “wants access (to the port)
through road that also goes through Ethiopia so that the people of South Sudan
can get services of import and export,” he added.
The vice president stated that he had very
good meetings with the people and Government of Ethiopia and the President of
Djibouti, “who is very committed to supporting South Sudan and Ethiopia by
opening this corridor so that we can use the port.”
“We have agreed that we construct the
road of Pagak and Palouge this year so that the material for oil exploration
and development can come from Djibouti to the oil field in the area of Palouge
and oil field in the Unity State,” Gai said.
The high level delegation led by the Vice
President of South Sudan also met with Ethiopian Minister of Finance Ahmed
Shide on Thursday and discussed about ways of
enhancing infrastructure connectivity between the two countries.
The officials have agreed
on ways to enhance their previously designed plans in the areas of roads
infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, water transportation, and other
vital economic sectors with a view to creating integration for mutual benefits.