DP Demeke Confers with Chinese ambassador to Ethiopia

Addis Ababa January 14/2021 (ENA) Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Demeke Mekonnnen today met and discussed with Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan on various issues of mutual concern.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two sides have held a fruitful discussion on principal issues, notably on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and the latest developments in Tigray Regional State.

During the meeting, Demeke appreciated the Government of China and Chinese companies, including the Jack Ma Foundation, for their valuable support to Ethiopia in fighting the global scourge.

He also expressed his hope that China’s considerations of debt reliefs to some of Ethiopia’s projects would continue to help the nation to mitigate the adverse impacts of the pandemic.

The Deputy Prime Minister also applauded China’s principled stance on the issue of the GERD talks which echoes the principle of “African solutions to African problems.”

In briefing the recent developments in Tigray, Demeke assured the ambassador that the government has maintained the rule of law in the region while continuing to jointly work with international agencies in providing humanitarian assistance and other relief measures to affected people.

With the capture and neutralization of the TPLF leaders, normalcy is returning to the region, Demeke added.

Ambassador Zhao Zhiyuan, on his part, reiterated his government’s gratitude to Ethiopia’s standing shoulder to shoulder with China during the hard times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for the briefings on pivotal issues of the country and vowed to scale up the already strong relationship that existed between the two countries.