Irish Prime Minister Arrives in Addis

Addis Ababa January 09/2019 Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkaris arrived in Addis Ababa today, concluding his visit to Mali.

The main purpose of his trip will be to visit Irish troops serving overseas and to see the work carried out by Irish Aid and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Upon arrival at Bole International Airport, the Prime Minister was welcomed by State Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Tekle.

The Irish Prime Minister will be officially received by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed later today to discuss bilateral and regional issues of mutual concern.

Taoiseach will also pay a courtesy call on President Sahle-Work Zewde, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He will also meet a number of Irish NGOs operating in Ethiopia, attend a reception with the Irish community and visit the UNESCO world heritage site in Lalibela where he will launch a new partnership initiative on cultural heritage between the governments of Ireland and Ethiopia.

Finally, Taoiseach will travel to a UNHCR refugee camp for Eritrean refugees and visit Irish Aid funded projects in northern Ethiopia.

In partnership with Ethiopian government agencies and UN institutions, Ireland has been operating a development program there since 1994.

Ireland is one of the key committed development partners of Ethiopia. It opened its embassy in Addis Ababa in 1994, while Ethiopia resumed its mission in Dublin, in 2003.