File photo taken on April 20, 2017 shows that then Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (Front) laying a cornerstone for the construction of first phase of the Medical City Center in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. (Xinhua/Michael Tewelde)

ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) mission to Ethiopia on Monday called for the Ethiopian government to conduct dialogue among all stakeholders to resolve the political crisis.

The EU, in a statement that did not explicitly oppose the martial law imposed on Friday, urged the Ethiopian government to limit its scope and respect human rights.

The Ethiopian government imposed the state of emergency on Friday, saying it was to protect the constitution, citizens and their property from the ongoing violent protests in some parts of the country.

"Only a constructive dialogue among all stakeholders -- authorities, opposition, media, civil society -- will allow for a peaceful and durable resolution of the crisis," said the EU statement.

On Saturday, the U.S. embassy in Ethiopia urged Addis Ababa to reconsider its decision to institute martial law, saying they "strongly disagree" with the move.

Both the EU and the United States are key development partners to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia has been facing incessant protests since 2016, especially in its three most populous Oromia, Amhara and Southern regional states.

The political crisis led to the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn last week. The last time Ethiopia witnessed a resignation of a prime minister was 44 years ago.