Seyoum Mesfin


Seyoum Mesfin Gebredingel is an Ethiopian politician and diplomat. He was Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 until September 2010 and is currently Ethiopia's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China.

Early life and education

Seyoum was trained in science and academic background, gained first at Bahir Dar Polytechnic Institute and later at Addis Ababa University.

Career

Political career

He was one of the founders of the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front. Seyoum served as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front in the 1980s. He was a member of the Marxist–Leninist League of Tigray and composed songs to honor the organization. On 23 March 2013, Seyoum resigned from the TPLF Central Committee its 11th meeting.

Ministerial career

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Seyoum was the Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs for nearly 20 years, from 1991 until he was replaced after the 2010 parliamentary election. He is also an executive member of the Central Committee of the EPRDF. He was influential in the Eritrean Ethiopian war and on 18 June 2000, Seyoum Mesfin, and his Eritrean counterpart, Haile Woldetensae, signed a peace agreement ending the war. On December 28, 2004, Mesfin made a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on the policy in the region, in particular the relationship of Ethiopia to Eritrea and Somalia. In 2007, Seyoum indicated that Eritrea had breached the agreements that ended its war and Ethiopia might end all or part of those agreements. He was also a member of the House of Peoples' Representatives, representing Adigrat.

Ethiopian Ambassador to People's Republic of China

After leaving the government in 2010, Seyoum was appointed as Ambassador to China. He visited Singapore in December 2012 to potentially set up an Ethio-Singapore Special Economy zone and expand cooperation in aviation.
In 2015, Mesfin was the chief mediator of South Sudan's IGAD-mediated peace talks. He urged both sides to end hostilities and form a transitional government. He launched the think tank Center for Research, Dialogue & Cooperation, a part of the Ministry of Education, on April 12, 2016.
Seyoum, was also Chief Executive Officer of the Endowment Fund for the Rehabilitation of Tigray from 2000 until early 2009. Seyoum served as the Chairman for ten years until 2011 is a member of Management Board of Ethiopian Airlines.

Family and personal life

Seyoum is married and has four children.3 sons and one daughterf