Ladies and Gentlemen:
Participants and invited guests

As always, Martyrs' Day is an occasion that is directly linked to our Independence Day. Beyond serving as a reminiscence of the precious sacrifices made, this day is also a reminder of the covenant we owe to our martyrs in safeguarding our sovereignty, upholding the genuine essence and meaning of our independence and living up to the responsibilities we bear.

On this occasion, prior to any other issues, our main focus would be on healing the social scars of martyrdom paid for our independence. It is very clear that the magnitude of social dislodgments and deprivation of opportunities induced in our society as a result of the heavy price of martyrdom has not been of inconsequential significance. With the inclusion of the TPLF regime's invasion, we are talking about the martyrdom of one person per every 50 nationals to live in peace. Taking into account the limitation of time and resources in addition to other factors such as social adversities provoked by wars and hostilities, it becomes an undeniable factor that the challenge ahead is quite colossal. The government took up on its responsibility without any further delay and began to implement programs aimed at alleviating the adversities. Even though it is not possible to conclude that these efforts have brought on grand solutions, one needs to note that the fact it has been fixed in our minds as an obligation and a value is, on its own, a major development. In light of the fact that the task has not been entirely left upon the government to deal with and that the people inside the country and abroad are voluntarily taking the initiatives to attend to the needs of martyrs' families, such an act is a reflection of a civilized culture of taking up one's responsibilities and a source of national pride testifying to the fact that we remain engaged in fulfilling our pledges to our martyrs.

As I had generally mentioned during Independence Day, the activities we continue to carry out in various sectors in order to build a modern and prosperous nation despite all limitations and hostilities are visible on the ground. We are, indeed, registering remarkable progress. We can, therefore, proudly say that our efforts in fulfilling our vows to our martyrs and future generations even in the development sector have not been of any less dynamism. Bearing in mind that growth in our economy would be directly proportional with the alleviation of our social burdens, it needs no reminding that our efforts towards promoting development programs should proceed at an accelerating pace.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Even though we had paid the heavy price of martyrdom, we did not take time out to share our pride for the victory we achieved through the struggle. In acknowledging and expressing our respect for the supremacy of the rule of law, we moved towards legalizing our sovereignty. With the TPLF's attempts to meddle with our sovereignty, the resistance and fortitude displayed by the people undeniably served in highlighting the value of our independence and sovereignty. Beyond thwarting the acts of bullying directed towards us, we abided by the rule of law and respected agreements and decisions. The struggle that we have undergone to date is by no means of insignificant value.

As I had mentioned in my message for the Independence Day, our sovereign territories remain occupied under the auspices of the United Nations; a legal decision remains overstepped for three years and the prevalence of a dangerous situation that demands due attention has become inevitable. All this, however, is a result, not of the TPLF's might, but rather of the external blessings of spoilers that continue to encourage the regime's defiance of the rule of law.

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Characterized by covetousness and treachery, a TPLF regime that inconsistently sways to and from Tirana & Langley used the people of Eritrea as a scapegoat to declare war and violate its sovereignty. The regime appeased adversaries of the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia, held the people of Ethiopia hostage and filled the minds of especially the people of Northern Ethiopia with the belief that there is no other way out but to raise arms against Eritrea or die as a traitor, in the regime's attempt to secure its place on the throne in Addis Ababa, knowing well and good that it does not have the support of the people of Ethiopia, but rather the support of external forces. What the turn of events over recent weeks has given away, therefore, is that the TPLF regime has placed its entire hopes and faith on spoilers that have taken on the role of its partners in crime.

As I had previously mentioned during the Independence Speech, TPLF spoilers employed every dirty trick they know in order to deceive and terrify the people of Ethiopia and Ethiopian opposition parties, as these spoilers made an effort to dub the regime with the tag of the "greatest democracy in Africa". The amount of subsidies extended in every attempt for the TPLF regime to come out victorious in the elections had been tremendous. Despite all that, however, the outcomes of these efforts, as revealed by recent events, can speak for themselves.

Having failed in their attempts to falsely vindicate the TPLF regime, spoilers went ahead and sabotaged the election process in their bid to pursue their acts of fraud and vote rigging. As has been made clear to everyone, they postponed the announcement of the results and even went further to stage an act of duplicity to forcefully persuade the people and oppositions of Ethiopia to accept "the TPLF's overwhelming victory" in the elections or, otherwise, become subject to acts of violence and manslaughter. It would, therefore, not be surprising if these spoilers come up next with fairytales such as "apart from minor incidents... the elections had been free and fair... the TPLF regime won a majority of seats... etc."

Ladies and Gentlemen:
It has become unambiguously clear that it is under the intensive care of sympathizers and the auspices of the United Nations and not through its own ability and ingenuity that the TPLF regime continues to occupy our sovereign territories, subjugate the people of Ethiopia, ensure its presence in power and drag the region into a dangerous predicament.

On the occasion of Martyrs' Day, it becomes appropriate that we call on those that claim to tag themselves with the label of "the international community", and who continue to allow that the rule of law be violated and our sovereign territories remain under occupation to shoulder their responsibilities before it is too late.

As for the people of Eritrea inside the country and abroad, the candles you have lit in memory of our martyrs and your efforts in assisting the families of fallen heroes is worth praising. Our efforts towards development and safeguarding our sovereignty is our guarantee towards fulfilling our covenant to and expression of glory to our martyrs, which is why I call on all nationals to pursue vigorous efforts in this domain.

Glory to our martyrs!
Victory to the Masses!