Sergey Lavrov Workneh Gebeyehu

On June 26, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, who is in Moscow on a working visit.

The two ministers praised the traditional friendly relations between Russia and Ethiopia, and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas, confirming their shared commitment to step up trade and economic ties with a focus on the implementation of large-scale joint projects in Ethiopia, including in the energy sector, extraction of minerals and the development of infrastructure.

They also highlighted the importance of relying on mechanisms provided by the Intergovernmental Russian-Ethiopian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Trade Cooperation, and the mutual interest in the promotion of ties in the field of education, science and high technology.

Mr Lavrov and Dr Gebeyehu had a detailed discussion on the topical international and regional issues, including conflict settlement in Africa, and examined the situation in the Horn of Africa, Somalia, South Sudan, the Sahara-Sahel zone, and in the Great Lakes Region.

Both Russia and Ethiopia strongly believe in the importance of consolidating international efforts to combat terrorism with the UN playing a central coordinating role.