Asmara, 26 November 2009 – President Isaias Afwerki said that new opportunities are in the process of unfolding as regards relations among states in the wake of the end of the Cold War era due to the emergence of various countries as competitive in the world economy.

The President made the remarks in interview he conducted today with the government-owned Rodina magazine published in the Russian Federation. He noted that the People’s Republic of China, India and Japan that have emerged as competitive in the global economy are developing relations of partnership with the African continent, and that Russia should engage in similar course of action.  Pointing out that relations between countries based on partnership benefits the concerned parties, President Isaias explained in detail the existing investment opportunities in Eritrea in which the Russian Federation could avail itself.

Also in an interview he gave to the British magazine, Monocle, the President highlighted the impressive achievements that Eritrea has registered after independence through rehabilitating the war-devastated economy. In this regard, he indicated that the nation has succeeded to put in place the best infrastructure and service-rendering facilities, in comparison with other countries in the region. Even more gratifying is the fact that Eritrea pursues an independent policy, besides avoiding reliance on aid and striving to achieve food security.

As regards the contribution of the National Service Program in the nation- building process, President Isaias explained that it is essentially aimed at rebuilding the war-devastated national economy. In this connection, he made reference to the economic rehabilitation and recovery program undertaken in Europe following the end of World War II.

Replying to a question regarding press freedom, the President underlined that in the contemporary world it is impossible to hoodwink people in the name of press freedom, and that the so-called free media outlets in the West are in essence controlled and manipulated by intelligence agencies and special interest groups. As such, they serve as tools of deception both to their respective communities and that of the world through disseminating distorted information, he emphasized.  On the contrary, Eritrea possesses an independent and responsible media that is not at all manipulated and financed by intelligence agencies and special interest groups, President Isaias underscored.      

On the question of democracy, he elucidated that democracy is a means to achieve societal goals and not a final objective in itself. There is no place in Eritrea for the current notion of democracy in today’s world which only focuses on the surface images rather than the real content, the President elaborated.

Replying to a question on how he prefers to spend his leisure, President Isaias said that he enjoys reading, listening to music, doing artistic works, watching documentaries and creative films, as well as following sports programs and news broadcasts. He further indicated that he is a fan of the Arsenal soccer team. 

Asked whether there are people in Eritrea who could replace him as a leader, the President replied: “Yes, there are 5 million of them.”

As to the question of who his ideal model is, he explained that it is misguided to ask people to choose one from a set of viewpoints and that every individual has his/her own outstanding qualities and choices. It is unreasonable to present people with a list of names and ask them to chose one ideal model and idolize him/her, he underlined. “Even on a country level, we neither require a role model nor do we want to be a model for others. Every society in the world has administered itself on the basis of one’s own culture and realities, and thus can’t be told who to emulate like a child,” President Isaias asserted.