APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday signed multiple agreements after the visiting UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on enhancing bilateral ties through sustainable development initiatives.
Later afternoon, Abiy and Al Nahyan held a bilateral meeting and vowed commitment to build stronger bridges for the benefit of both peoples, the PM Office said.
“The growing relation between our two countries is rooted in deep mutual respect and a shared vision for mutual progress,” PM Abiy said. “We will continue collaborating in pursuit of sustainable development.”
The two leaders later presided over a signing ceremony of 17 agreements involving various sectors, including industry, agriculture, investment, and finance.
The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Ethiopian Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, established the foundations of Emirati-Ethiopian relations.
Since then, the ties between the two countries have grown stronger, especially after the opening of the Ethiopian Consulate in the UAE in 2004, followed by the UAE Embassy in Addis Ababa in July 2010 and the Ethiopian Embassy in Abu Dhabi in 2014.
These steps have boosted the two countries’ cooperation in various fields, including political, economic, investment, and cultural spheres.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi told Emirates News Agency (WAM) that his country’s leadership had directed the country to strengthen its relations with African nations, especially Ethiopia.
The two countries traded non-oil goods worth US$1.4 billion in 2022, and the UAE invested $2.9 billion in Ethiopia especially in chemicals, food and beverages, aluminum, and pharmaceuticals sectors, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi told reporters in Addis Ababa.
In Addis Ababa, President Al Nahyan said his latest discussion with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed aimed to further strengthening the bilateral ties to serve the “aspirations of our peoples through economic and sustainable initiatives.”
“The UAE is committed to building bridges of cooperation that foster prosperity and stability for all,” the UAE President had said in a tweet.
MG/as/APA