The president underscored the importance of national dialogue as a viable mechanism to resolve Ethiopia’s conflicts in his address to the second special research seminar organized jointly by AAU and the National Dialogue Commission under the theme “Role of Scholars in National Dialogue and Consensus Building”.

A discussion paper was presented which led to deliberations on the nation’s most pressing issues .

The leaders of the two institutions and scholars participated in the discussions.

Whilst over the centuries Ethiopia managed to resolve it’s multifarious issues, we are now confronted with intractable conflicts which we need to transform through dialogue and consultation, Dr Samuel Kifle said.

The AAU President further said national dialogue should not be left to elites across the political divide but needs to involve all segments of society, adding that, since the role of scholars is particularly crucial, they should play a constructive part.

For her part, Deputy Commissioner of the National Dialogue Commission, Hirut Gebre Selassie, called on scholars to participate and contribute in making the national dialogue a success.

Other scholars who participated in the discussions commented on the need for mutual respect, tolerance, recognition of rival world views and political ideologies and the exercise of restraint from acts of intransigence, bigotry, parochialism and intolerance.

Since last year, AAU has been organizing a wide variety of forums on a diversity of issues and trends of national importance.