Ethiopian eyeing flights to Islamabad, Lahore: Envoy

Addis Ababa, March 21, 2024 (FBC) – Jemal Beker Abdula, the Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan, paid a visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Thursday for an in-depth discussion with its leadership regarding enhancing collaboration between the trade organizations of both nations.

The discussions encompassed various topics of shared interest, focusing on essential initiatives aimed at nurturing commercial and trade relationships between the two countries. During the meeting, the Ambassador emphasized Ethiopia’s pivotal role in the “Look Africa and Engage Africa” policy, exemplified by the commencement of Ethiopian Airlines operations in Karachi.

“The Ethiopian Airlines in Pakistan is getting an overwhelming response and now we are working towards expansion of its operations to Islamabad and Lahore as well,” the Ambassador noted.

He said steps are being taken to boost people-to-people and business-to-business relation between the two countries.

” In the last one and half years, we have taken over 75-member business delegation to Ethiopia and facilitated arrival of 50-member trade delegation from Ethiopia in Pakistan,” he said, adding the mainstay of the Ethiopian Embassy’s endeavours was economic diplomacy that would ultimately connect the people of two countries at grassroots level.

He also confirmed that he will take another trade delegation to Ethiopia in May 2024.

On his part, Islamabad Chamber’s President Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari lauded the Ambassador’s role in bringing the people of two nations close and called for the joint efforts to further strengthen the trade ties between the two countries.

He assured the Ambassador of all-out support in mobilizing another trade delegation to Ethiopia this year, the Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad confirmed in a press release sent to FBC.