Dec 17: Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi met today with H. E. Dr. Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia at the National Palace in Addis Ababa. On arrival at the Palace, Prime Minister Modi was warmly received by Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and accorded a ceremonial welcome.
The two leaders met in one-on-one, restricted and delegation-level formats. They reflected upon the entire spectrum of our bilateral relationship that are based on civilizational ties built over centuries and strengthened by strong people-to-people ties. Given the importance of the relationship, the leaders agreed to elevate the India-Ethiopia ties to the level of Strategic Partnership. They noted that as Global South partners, the two countries must continue to contribute towards building an inclusive world. Prime Minister Modi underlined that it was a singular honour for India to welcome the African Union as a G20 member during its Presidency of the grouping in 2023. Prime Minister Modi thanked Ethiopia for its solidarity in the wake of Pahalgam terror attack and for strengthening the global fight against terrorism.
Both leaders took stock of the progress in the multifaceted partnership between India and Ethiopia, including in areas of trade and investment, innovation and technology, education and capacity building, and defense cooperation. Prime Minister Modi conveyed India’s willingness to step up collaboration with Ethiopia in the fields of health security, digital health, traditional medicine, Jan Aushadhi Kendra, food security, sustainable agriculture, natural farming, and Agri-tech. The leaders underscored that the close development partnership between the countries was adding value to the strong people-to-people ties.
Both leaders reviewed the economic partnership between the two countries. They discussed cooperation in the fields of Digital Public Infrastructure, mining, critical minerals and clean energy. Prime Minister Modi stated that Indian companies, as trusted partners have invested over 5 billion dollars in the Ethiopian economy, especially in essential sectors of manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, creating over 75,000 local jobs.
The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to working together to voice the concerns of the Global South. They discussed cooperation in the multilateral arena, including the United Nations. They called for greater cooperation on issues such as climate change, renewable energy and disaster risk reduction and in this context welcomed the role of international organizations such as International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) and International Solar Alliance (ISA). Prime Minister Modi noted that India looked forward to working with Ethiopia as BRICS partners under its presidency and for the proposed India-Africa Forum Summit.
Following the talks, the two leaders witnessed exchange of three MoUs in the fields of: United Nations Peacekeeping Operations Training; Mutual Administrative Assistance in the Customs Matters; and establishment of Data Centre at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.
Prime Minister Dr Abiy hosted a banquet in honour of Prime Minister Modi. Prime Minister Modi invited Prime Minister Dr. Abiy to visit India, which he accepted.
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