President Barack Obama delivered a toast to Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn at a state dinner in Addis Ababa on July 27. Obama paid tribute to the contributions Ethiopia had made to the world, its bond with the United States, and the work of Ethiopian journalists.

“I was impressed by the courage of the Ethiopian journalists that I welcomed to the White House earlier this year, moved by their determination to champion a robust free press, and I very much appreciated the comments you made at the press conference today about the evolution that’s taking place to deepen democracy here,” said President Obama in response to Prime Minister Desalegn’s earlier comments. The Ethiopian government has been strongly criticised by human rights watchdogs for imprisoning journalists and bloggers. Credit: YouTube/The White House