President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Gedu Andargachew, BelTA reports.
The head of the Ethiopian MFA is on a working visit to Belarus, including to deliver a personal message from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
As reported by BelTA, Alexander Lukashenko met with Abiy Ahmed Ali on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan in October 2024. Discussing the development of cooperation, the head of the Belarusian state then proposed: "Let's start by getting to know each other better. But I am a proponent of swift steps. The world is changing rapidly, forcing us to accelerate. Therefore, we are ready to implement everything we agree upon as quickly as you are ready."
Bilateral cooperation gains particular significance in light of Belarus's interest in gaining access to the African market through Ethiopia, viewing the country as a gateway to Africa. "Therefore, we are very interested in cooperating with you. I believe we need not just to resume, but to improve and modernise our avenues of cooperation. We are ready for this," stated Alexander Lukashenko at the meeting in Kazan.
In turn, Abiy Ahmed Ali expressed gratitude to the Belarusian side for resuming cooperation and mutual support on the world stage. He stated that the Ethiopian side is primarily interested in joint work in the field of agriculture and the modernisation of this sector. There is also interest in joint work in the textile industry, mining, high-tech sectors, and several other areas.
In April of this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Maksim Ryzhenkov, visited Ethiopia. The Belarusian delegation held a series of negotiations with key representatives of the Ethiopian government and business. The discussions included adapting Belarusian technologies to Ethiopia's needs and modernising the country's production base. Deliveries of Belarusian equipment, the establishment of joint ventures, and personnel training at Belarusian universities were discussed.
Regarding the agricultural sector, the main focus is on training personnel for Ethiopia at four Belarusian agricultural universities, as well as on implementing Belarusian agricultural mechanisation technologies. The Ethiopian side expressed interest in establishing long-term partnerships for the supply of Belarusian fertilisers.
At a meeting between Maksim Ryzhenkov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Gedu Andargachew, which was also attended by representatives of the leadership of the Ministries of Industry and Agriculture and Food, the parties agreed to intensify work on a cooperation roadmap, which is planned to be signed at the leaders' level of the two countries.