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Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Abiy claimed in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Ethiopians can resolve their own problems.
Abiy made a veiled allusion to the alleged influence in the peace talks, saying, "Of course, if there are plenty of interventions from left and right, it's very tough."
Ethiopians need to understand that they are capable of handling their own challenges, he continued.
Abiy expressed increased optimism that a peace accord would be reached despite outside intervention in the continuing negotiations.
The worst conflict in Africa is the subject of peace negotiations being mediated by the Africa Union and taking place in South Africa.
On Tuesday, October 25, in Pretoria, the federal administration and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the region's ruling party, held their first official meeting.
However, very little information is leaving the location, primarily regarding the topic and potential direction of the talks.
Despite the fact that the first round of negotiations was initially scheduled to end on Sunday, they have extended it to sunday.
There was "no date limitation" on the negotiations, according to a spokesman for African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday.
According to a diplomatic source who spoke to Sudan Tribune on Tuesday, the first round of discussions between the warring parties resumed on Tuesday, two days after they were due to end.
According to the insider, the discussions could go until Wednesday or even later.
"The meetings will go on through Wednesday.
To allow the sides to narrow their differences over a longer period of time, the negotiations are being put back a few days, the source informed Sudan Tribune on condition of anonymity.
A cease-fire, unrestricted humanitarian access to the war-torn Tigray province, and the evacuation of Eritrean forces are the main objectives of the current first round of talks, according to the diplomatic source.
The Tigray rebels had previously sought unrestricted assistance access, the withdrawal of Eritrean forces, and the restoration of essential facilities such access to telephone, power, internet, and banking in the area as requirements for peace.
Federal representatives on their side are asking for the TPLF to disarm after the Pretoria talks begin.
Political analysts believe that the government's latest demand could bring an end to the negotiations without a resolution.
Fighting has raged in Tigray since the talks began, with government soldiers pushing there since mid-October with help from the Eritrean army, as well as forces and militias from the nearby Amhara and Afar areas.
Olusegun Obasanjo, a former president of Nigeria, is assisting the ongoing peace negotiations with the help of former vice presidents of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta.
Through its representative in the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, who traveled to South Africa in a US military aircraft with Tigray's mediators, the US government is assisting the peace process.
The two-year battle has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, millions of displaced people, and 90% of the estimated seven million people living in Tigray being dependent on aid.
According to Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, "as many as half a million" people have perished in the battle. Last month, she forewarned the UN Security Council of the possibility of "mass crimes" if the combat persists.
SOURCE : NEWS AGENCIES
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