The Government of Ethiopia deeply regrets the decision of the US government to terminate the continued eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), according to Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration.
"We strongly encourage the U.S government to reconsider its decision," statement released by the ministry added.
The Ethiopian Government has continued to take measures aimed at restoring peace and stability and consolidating the political and economic reforms over the past three years, Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration.
Considering the long-standing cordial relationship that has existed between our two countries, we have engaged in good faith with relevant agencies within the US administration to restore our mutually beneficial partnership.
Removing Ethiopia from AGOA will undermine rather than further the cause of human rights in Ethiopia, ministry revealed.
AGOA-based export opportunities have created jobs for hundreds of thousands of some of the most vulnerable people in the country, including young women with children to raise and elderly relatives to support.
The damage that Ethiopia's removal from AGOA will cause to the lives and livelihoods of so many innocent people who have nothing to do with the current crisis is significant.
