Ethiopia, Arab League States explore ways to deepen longstanding bilateral ties

Addis Ababa, March 24, 2023 (FBC) – State Minister of Finance Semereta Sewasew, held discussion with Head of Arab League States Permanent Diplomatic Missions to Ethiopia.

The State Minister held the discussion with Walid Hamed Shiltagh, Head of League of Arab States Permanent Diplomatic Missions to Ethiopia, and Itonde A. Kakoma, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) IFRC Director of Global Humanitarian Diplomacy and Permanent Representative to the African Union and International Organizations at a ceremony held in ministry of finance.

According to Ministry of Finance, the focus of the consultation was on mutual interest to strengthen the relationship between Ethiopia and the League of Arab States, building on longstanding socioeconomic, cultural, and religious ties and enhancing long-term investment and development opportunities.

Moreover, they discussed opportunities of mobilizing resources for the Food and Nutrition Resilience Program targeting Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, endorsed at the Horn of Africa Ministerial Round-table on Food Security in Addis Ababa, African Union meeting, MoF added.

It is also stated that the two sides consulted on the active participation of the government of Ethiopia in the upcoming Africa Arab Summit to be held in Saudi Arabia, at the end of November and high-level forums in the lead-up to the summit, focusing on key issues including economic development, environment, and culture.

It is indicated that the forums can serve as platforms to share potential economic and investment opportunities to Arab countries, promotion of effective programs to enhance agricultural productivity and environmental protection, and strengthen cultural ties.

MoF further indicated that establishing regular exchanges with Arab Ambassadors` council on key initiatives in Ethiopia, priorities of the ministry, as a means of ensuring a holistic and well-packaged approach to advancing bilateral engagements were some of the main points they discussed.