Ethiopia, Republic of Korea vow to deepen trade, investment deepen ties

Addis Ababa, August 8, 2023 (FBC) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, this morning conferred at his office with Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Park Jin.

They discussed ways of further strengthening cooperation between the countries in bilateral and multilateral venues.

During the talks, Demeke told FM Jin, Ethio-South Korean friendship is forged by blood.

He said, they have agreed to further consolidate the longstanding diplomatic relations in the areas of trade, investment and development cooperation for the benefit of respective peoples.

We have also reaffirmed to expedite our partnership on multilateral fora on issues of mutual interest, Demeke added.

He also expressed the gratitude of the People and Government of Ethiopia to the People and Government of South Korea for choosing Ethiopia as one of the critical priority development partners in Africa.

Demeke has also congratulated the Republic of Korea for being elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and pledged to work closely on matters of mutual interest and concerns affecting the African Continent, in general and the Horn of Africa, in particular.

Foreign Minister Park Jin, on his part, expressed his gratitude to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister for the warm welcome and hospitality.

He peculiarly echoed the fact that Ethiopia is a gateway to Africa. As a priority partner in Africa, FM Jin noted, his Government with its Ethiopian counterpart will continue cooperating in key areas to elevate the multifaceted, strategic partnership between South Korea and Ethiopia through bilateral and multilateral frameworks on issues of mutual interest.

After the bilateral talks the high-ranking officials also gave a joint press conference to the media corps.

This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the commencement of formal diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and the East Asian country.