Thousands gathered in Washington DC to hear Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, on the second day of his U.S. visit.

CGTN’s Girum Chala reports.

Tens of thousands of Ethiopians living in the U.S. gathered outside of the Washington convention center on Saturday, waiting in line to get a chance to hear Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Once inside, the scene was simply electric, with chanting, dancing and the Ethiopian flag flying.

Addressing the crowd, Ahemd called for demolishing the wall of hatred, and building the bridge of unity.

“We Ethiopians have shown the whole world that we can finally lean on one another, stand together, have one common vision and toil for it,” he said. “We have also showed the world we can hug one another and love our fellow nationals. The world has today witnessed all of these through this historic gathering.”

Abiy wants this diaspora to contribute for Ethiopia’s growth, and contribute to a trust fund with a dollar a day.

“You remember I had kindly asked you to spare just a dollar from daily coffee consumption, and donate for your country’s development. Today, I can officially announce that we have decided on ten well-known and trustworthy Ethiopians here in the US to run this trust fund. This money will be used to educate the blind, buy wheelchairs for the handicapped, build schools and provide clean water for our fellow citizens.”

The prime minister will next travel to Los Angeles and Minnesota.