ISLAMABAD: Ambassador Misganu Arega, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, on Thursday inaugurated the embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Islamabad.

Ambassador Arega and Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Pakistan, cut the ribbon together and announced the embassy open.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Ambassador Arega said opening of the Ethiopian embassy in Islamabad marked a new history in the diplomatic, political, economic and social cooperation between the two countries.

He also noted that the embassy had achieved remarkable progress in a short period in advancing the two countries cooperation in a number of fields.

Apart from bilateral relations, Ambassador Misganu said Ethiopia considered Pakistan as a strategic partner in international issues such as climate change, immigration, security and terrorism.

Ms Khar said Ethiopia and Pakistan had common economic and development challenges that needed the two countries’ cooperation to overcome them. The state minister also stressed that the opening of Ethiopian embassy in Islamabad would have vital role in boosting Pakistan’s relations with Africa.

Jemal Beker Abdula, who is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia in Pakistan, said the establishment of the embassy in Islamabad showed that the Ethiopia government wanted to deepen its relations with Pakistan. He also extended his appreciation to the government of Pakistan for its unreserved support to realise the opening of the embassy.

Ethiopia and Pakistan established their bilateral diplomatic relations in 1950s, he said, adding the major initiatives including inauguration of Ethiopian Airlines and the embassy in Pakistan and visit of over 70 Pakistani businessmen to Ethiopia had changed the landscape of bilateral relations altogether.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2023