PM’s Visit to Turkey Further boosts Growing Ethio-Turkish Diplomatic, Trade, and Investment Relations

Addis Ababa August 19/2021 (ENA) The official visit conducted by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Turkey is expected to further boost the Growing Ethio-Turkish Diplomatic, Trade, and Investment Relations.

Upon the invitation from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed  paid an official visit to Turkey.  His visit coincides with the 125 anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The timing and significance of the Prime Minister’s visit to Turkey should be considered from the perspective of some western conspiratorial policy on Ethiopia which is regrettably based on terrorist TPLF and western media propaganda of falsehood on the country.

It also needs to be viewed from the perspective of the effects of unjustified economic and diplomatic sanctions that the US has imposed on Ethiopia indirectly cooperating with terrorist TPLF’s attempts to destroy the economic basis of the country and retard its comprehensive reform programs.

Diplomatic contact between Turkey and Ethiopia kicked off in 1896 with the exchange of delegations during the rule of Sultan Abdülhamid II and Emperor Menelik II. Consequently, the first Ottoman-Turkish Consulate General was established in the town of Harar in 1912.

Turkey established its first Embassy in Sub-Saharan Africa in Addis Ababa in 1926. Ethiopia opened its Embassy in Turkey in 1933. The Ethiopian Embassy in Ankara was closed by the Derge government in 1984 and was re-opened in 2006.

Following the reopening of Ethiopian Embassy in Ankara in 2006, mutual high-level exchange of visits were conducted between the officials of both countries and Turkish Airlines started flying to Addis Ababa with its maiden flight in April 2006. the inauguration of Turkish Airlines’ the establishment of the first TIKA (Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency) Office in Addis Ababa in 2005, first in Africa and development aid programs towards Ethiopia have been significant steps which have contributed to the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.

President Recep Tayyip paid official working visit to Ethiopia between January 21-23 2015.  Furthermore, Dr. Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, former President of Ethiopia, who was also the former Ethiopian Ambassador to Ankara paid a state visit to Turkey on 6-10 February 2017 and attended to the II. Turkey- Africa Economy and Business Forum on 10-11 October 2018.

While the number of Turkish companies investment in Ethiopia in 2003 was only 1 and the number of employed people was 5, yet Turkish business people have become one of the largest private sector employers in Ethiopia by employing more than 20,000 Ethiopians in 200 Turkish companies. To date, investment volume between the two countries have surpassed 2 billion dollars, 13 projects have been completed so far.

According to reports from Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Ethiopia amounted to 398,8 million USD in 2019 (exports were 378,3 million USD and imports were 27,5 million USD), and to 272 million USD in 2020 (exports were 231 million and imports were 41 million USD).

Turkey-Ethiopia 8th Session of the JEC was held in Ankara on 14 January 14, 2021 under the co-chairmanship of Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu and Ethiopia Trade and Industry Minister Melaku Alebel.

In a recent telephone conversation between Prime Minister Abiy and President Erdogan, the Turkish President said that his country will render every possible support for Ethiopia in the nation’s efforts to accelerate her development programs and the promotion of peaceful development in the country.

As stated earlier, guided by the false propaganda of terrorist TPLF and the western commercial media, and with total disregard to Ethiopia’s strategic partnership with the west, governments in the western countries chose to provide diplomatic support to terrorist TPLF in failing to condemn the crimes against humanity that the terrorist organization has conducted in Tigray, Amhara and Afar Regional States.

However, Turkey stood up as a true friend of the people and government of Ethiopia pursuant to the long standing relations between the two countries and Turkish commitment to peace and development in Ethiopia.

It is reported that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his high level delegation have signed multiple agreements with Turkey. The agreements are expected to strengthen the two nations political, diplomatic, economic and social relations for many years. Bilateral relations would be strengthened anymore, and relations between the two peoples would grow stronger over time.

The visit of the Ethiopian high level delegation to Turkey and the conversations conducted between the leaders of the two countries is also believed to further boost the already growing diplomatic, trade, investment and cultural relations between the two countries.

Upon concluding his visit to Turkey, the premier said that he has spent fruitful time with the Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan and noted that “Ethiopia will never forget the cooperation extended to Ethiopia by the people and government of Turkey.”