Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's working visit to Ethiopia
27 July 2022 16:59
1550-27-07-2022
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was on a working visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on July 26-27. He was welcomed by President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen. Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with FDRE Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to whom he conveyed a personal message from President Vladimir Putin.
Progressive development of traditionally friendly Russian-Ethiopian relations was discussed during the meetings and conversations. Both sides noted a high level of trust-based political dialogue, as well as Moscow and Addis Ababa's overlapping approaches to pressing international issues. They reiterated their mutual commitment to expand interaction and to coordinate their steps at the UN and other multilateral platforms.
The Russian minister made clear to the Ethiopian leaders the reasons behind and the objectives of the special military operation in Ukraine and gave a detailed assessment of the situation in the context of global food security.
When discussing the situation in the Horn of Africa and other African hot spots, Sergey Lavrov highlighted the importance of respecting the "African solutions to African problems" principle.
He reaffirmed Russia's support for the Ethiopian government's efforts to normalise the situation in Tigray and to launch an inclusive national dialogue in the country. Moscow will continue to stand in solidarity with Ethiopia's principled position, which rejects interference in its domestic affairs and upholds its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The core areas of bilateral economic cooperation were discussed. As part of the forthcoming meeting of the Russia-Ethiopia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation and Trade in October, it was agreed to concentrate mutual efforts on promising areas such as energy, transport infrastructure, digital technologies and agricultural production.
They also touched on preparations for the second Russia-Africa summit in mid-2023.
At the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa, Sergey Lavrov spoke before permanent representatives of the AU member countries and provided a detailed assessment of the geopolitical reality in the context of the situation in Ukraine and related developments.
Gratitude was expressed to the African countries for their balanced position on this issue.
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