Lukashenko will meet with the foreign minister of Ethiopia
The President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Gedion Timothewos, reports BELTA.
The head of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry is in Belarus on a working visit, including to deliver a personal message from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.
As reported by BELTA, Alexander Lukashenko met with Abiy Ahmed Ali in October 2024 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan. Speaking about 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 supporter of quick steps. The world is changing rapidly, it forces us to accelerate. Therefore, we are ready to do everything we agree on as quickly as you are ready to do it yourself."
The bilateral cooperation takes on special significance in light of Belarus's interest in gaining access to the African market through Ethiopia, viewing this country as a gateway to Africa. "Therefore, we are very interested in cooperating with you. I think we need not just to renew, but to improve and modernize the ways of our cooperation. We are ready for this," said Alexander Lukashenko at the meeting in Kazan.
For his part, Abiy Ahmed Ali expressed gratitude to the Belarusian side for the renewal of cooperation and mutual support on the world stage. He stated that the Ethiopian side is primarily interested in joint work in agriculture and the modernization of this sector. There is also interest in joint work in the textile industry, mining, high technology, and several other areas.
In April of this year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhankov, 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 the needs of Ethiopia and modernizing the production base of this country. Supplies of Belarusian machinery, the creation of joint ventures, and training of personnel in Belarusian universities were also discussed.
Regarding the agricultural sector, the main focus is on training personnel for Ethiopia in four Belarusian agricultural universities, as well as on implementing Belarusian technologies for agricultural mechanization. The Ethiopian side expressed interest in establishing long-term partnership relations for the supply of Belarusian fertilizers.
At the meeting between Maxim Ryzhankov and the head of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Gedion Timothewos, which also involved representatives from the leadership of the ministries of industry and agriculture and food, the parties agreed to intensify work on the roadmap for cooperation, which is planned to be signed at the level of the leaders of the two countries.