By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Ethiopia, July 15 2026 – Ethiopia opened its National Dialogue Conference on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed calling it a historic opportunity to resolve political differences through dialogue and build lasting peace.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Abiy said the conference, which is expected to bring together about 4,000 participants in the coming weeks, offered Ethiopia a chance to "write a new chapter" in its history through consensus rather than conflict.
"We are at a moment when we can break the cycle in Ethiopia's political journey," Abiy said. "A cycle that begins with inflammatory rhetoric and ends in violent action, and replace it with dialogue and discussion."
The prime minister said the conference was built on a bottom-up agenda-setting process involving hundreds of thousands of citizens, describing it as one of the most significant political consultations in Ethiopia's modern history.
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Abiy thanked members of the Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission for organizing the process and urged delegates to set aside individual interests in favour of the country's long-term stability and unity.
He called on participants to promote reconciliation, forgiveness and peaceful coexistence, saying Ethiopians should resolve their differences through dialogue rather than violence.
The National Dialogue Commission was established in 2021 to facilitate discussions on Ethiopia's longstanding political disputes and national challenges. The dialogue has been presented by the government as a key step toward fostering national consensus, although some opposition groups have questioned the inclusiveness of the process and declined to participate.
The conference comes as Ethiopia said it continues efforts to stabilize the country following years of conflict and political tensions in several regions.