Ethiopia Participates in India-Africa Defense Dialogue

Addis Ababa October 18/2022/ENA/ A delegation led by the Minister of Defense, Abreham Belay is participating in the India-Africa Defense Dialogue (IADD), which is being held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

At the event, the Minister spoke about Africa-India defense cooperation in general and Ethiopia-India cooperation in particular.

The Ethiopian Defense Minister thanked the Indian government for the invitation and the warm reception extended to him and his delegation, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Abreham expressed his belief that the dialogue will help to strengthen the existing partnership and enhance defense cooperation, as well as pave the way for Ethiopia and India to explore new areas of convergence for mutual engagement, such as defense industry, technology development, armed forces capacity building and joint training, cyber defense, maritime security, and counter-terrorism.

He also elaborated on the efforts of the Government of Ethiopia to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in the northern part of the country.

Stating that Ethiopia recognizes the trending global and regional developments that are adding to the world's peace, security, and stability challenges, Abreham stressed the need for a collective and consultative mitigation approach by responsible and active regional and global actors.

Furthermore, Abreham expressed his government's gratitude for the solidarity of the government and people of India in supporting Ethiopia through its difficult times.

The Minister mentioned the interest of his ministry in taking the initiative to bring such a high-level military technology dialogue and expo to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, with the aim of taking the bilateral collaboration to a strategic level.

The Minister of Defense of India, Rajnath Singh, thanked the participants for attending the dialogue and reaffirmed India's commitment to enhancing cooperation with African countries.