Addis Ababa, August 10, 2023 (FBC) – Russia Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin said Russia signed several cooperation agreements with African countries including Ethiopia to strengthen relations during the second Russia-Africa summit which was held in St, Petersburg.
In a press briefing he gave in connection with the Second Russia-Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia, from 27-28 July, 2023, Ambassador Terekhin said that the conference was successful as it opened a new phase of cooperation with Africa.
He stated that Russia demonstrated its desire to collaborate with African nations in broad areas such as trade, information technology, peace and security, food security, education and energy.
On the sidelines of the summit, Ethiopia and Russia signed agreements to further strengthen cooperation including in education, economic, trade and investment spheres, Terekhin said, adding that these cooperation will help elevate the historical ties between the two countries..
He added that Russia and Ethiopia have also agreed to establish a joint biological research center, and customs cooperation, per ENA.
Ambassador Terekhin also said that Russia will increase the number of scholarship opportunities and exchange programs it offers to Ethiopian students.
Further, educational cooperation between Russian and Ethiopian higher learning institutions will be strengthened through direct university partnerships of Russian professors to teach in Ethiopian universities, the ambassador noted.
Whereas only 35 Ethiopian students received Russian scholarships annually in recent years; however, the number of students has now increased to 100, Terekhin said.
The ambassador highlighted that Russia is strengthening its engagement with Africa across broad areas of trade, technology, education and other spheres. Accordingly, various cooperation and agreements were signed demonstrating concrete outcomes and taking Russia-Africa ties to a strategic level, Ambassador Terekhin pointed out.