ASMARA, May 7 (Xinhua) — Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Thursday underscored that stability is the most important factor to promote economic and social development in the African country. Isaias made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Xinhua ahead of the upcoming 16th anniversary of the founding of the State of Eritrea.
“Many may underestimate the importance of stability, but talking about achievements, you have to talk about the preconditions for achievements, and we believe stability is a basic requirement. Without stability, it is very difficult to talk about achievements in the economy, achievements in social programs and other sectors,” the Eritrean president noted.
He added that his country has been able to consolidate the stability based on the long political tradition in Eritrea, in spited of the regional and international challenges.
Isaias also mentioned the achievements in the infrastructure in the past years since independence as his government has adopted a strategy to guarantee the development of infrastructure in the sectors of mining, agriculture, tourism and industry among others.
Eritrea is “in the right track of putting in place a viable infrastructure that will create a conducing framework for investment and then development”, taking consideration of the timespan and the limitation of resources, he noted.
Isaias also explained that his country started from nothing in the field of social service, including healthcare and education, while such service is currently being provided to the Eritrea people in the above fields.
On the recent development of the bilateral ties with China, the Eritrean president said that the strategic partnership between the two countries has developed at a high speed, which was successful in many fields, as the relation between the two countries went beyond the establishment of diplomatic ties on the exact day of Eritrea’s independence.
He expressed the intention of his country to expand cooperation with China in critical economic sectors with priorities on mining, infrastructure and agriculture, as well as service.
On the implementation of the eight major moves China would take to develop relations with Africa, which was announced at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006, Isaias said the Forum boost the strategic partnership between China and Africa to a higher level.
The president said that many countries in the Africa see the fruits and achievements, with the understanding that China will bring changes to Africa, promote the economic development in the continent.
He also expected China and Africa to grasp the opportunity during the current global economic crisis to strengthen the bilateral cooperation, as African countries appreciate the investment style of “mutual benefit and common development” initiated by China in Africa as a “two-way cooperation.”
African countries should boost coordination to adopt realistic polices to meet the challenges facing the continent and the Sino-African cooperation and benefit from the Chinese investment and the strategic partnership, Isaias noted, calling for more efforts to develop Africa as a viable market.
The Eritrean president also praised the successful handling of the serious earthquake in Wenchuan in China’s southwest province of Sichuan in May 2008, which made China more prepared to deal with natural disasters in the future.
On the upcoming 60th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China in October, Isaias sent congratulations to the Chinese people as China has developed into a major world economic power in the past years and made contributions to world peace and prosperity.
“We, not only here in Eritrea, but along the continent in everywhere, would wish the Chinese people to continue along the same path so that we see more of positive change and cooperation between China and other peoples, ” he concluded.
Eritrea, which currently has a population of about 5 million, formally announced its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
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