Lukashenko Is Confident that Belarus and Ethiopia Have Potential for Cooperation Development

Belarus is ready to strengthen cooperation with Ethiopia across many areas. We also count on its further support within BRICS. This was stated by the President during talks with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister.

Minsk and Addis Ababa traditionally maintain friendly relations. Their history predates the 30 years of diplomatic ties.

Belarus views Ethiopia as a gateway to Africa, providing access to a vast market. In turn, Ethiopia also intends to enhance its trade and economic cooperation with our country.

We are interested in joint efforts in agriculture (modernization being a priority), the textile industry, and the mining sector.

"Ethiopia is one of the most important countries in East Africa for us. Since Soviet times, we have good memories and high hopes for future cooperation," said Alexander Lukashenko to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister. "It is a huge country with over 130 million people. We see our place in Ethiopia to be useful for you."

Lukashenko also expressed gratitude to Ethiopia for helping to recognize Belarus as a partner in BRICS. "We hope you will continue to support us in this organization," added the President.

The Belarusian leader is convinced that, given the mutual interest in cooperation and the traditional ties between the countries, there is potential for further development. "We met in Kazan (at the BRICS summit) with your Prime Minister and agreed that the Ethiopian and Belarusian foreign ministries will develop a specific plan, a roadmap for our cooperation, which we are doing today," emphasized Alexander Lukashenko.

He assured the Ethiopian Foreign Minister that Belarus will fulfill all its obligations once agreements are reached. "We are ready to supply you with the full range of machinery and equipment needed in Ethiopia. We are prepared to provide agricultural machinery and technology, and also transfer relevant technologies and train your people in these areas," outlined Lukashenko.

"Mr. President, thank you very much. It is a great honor for me to be here today with you and to attend your audience. Please allow me to convey the warmest greetings and best wishes from the President and Prime Minister of my country personally to you and the people of Belarus. There are strong cultural and historical ties between our countries. We also share similar perspectives on values such as history and religion. Many people in our country still warmly remember their studies here during the Soviet era. Today, they continue to build and support strong connections between our nations," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timoshev.

According to the head of the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, Belarusian equipment has a very good reputation in Ethiopia, with only positive feedback from local farmers. Currently, the countries are working on establishing joint enterprises for assembling agricultural machinery.

Ethiopia is a member of the African Union, headquartered in Addis Ababa. There are free trade agreements between African Union countries, opening large opportunities for sales.

"Currently, we are working on creating joint enterprises in Ethiopia for assembling Belarusian agricultural machinery using Belarusian equipment and technologies. Subsequently, we hope that the equipment assembled in our country will be sold to other African nations. I hope negotiations in this area will be concluded very soon," emphasized Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timoshev.

In recent years, Belarus has significantly strengthened cooperation with many African countries (including Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, and Egypt). The dynamics in relations with Ethiopia developed after Alexander Lukashenko’s talks with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia at the BRICS summit in Kazan. During that meeting, the head of state proposed organizing a visit of Ethiopian specialists to Belarus so they could assess on-site the sectors and goods of interest to their country—whether in agriculture or the military-industrial complex.