ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia’s attendance at the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation would further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries, said Office of the Prime Minister. Ethiopia’s inclusion in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a natural progression of the growing ties between the two countries ever since they established diplomatic ties almost five decades ago.
“Ethiopia’s inclusion in the Belt and Road Initiative is something that has progressed as part of the strong social, political, cultural and economic ties that has progressed throughout the last 50 years,” Billene Seyoum told Xinhua.
Ethiopia was one of the only two African countries with high-level delegation representation at the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) held in May 2017, recalled Billene as she went on to describe the Ethiopian government’s huge emphasis on the BRI in particular and its growing ties with China in general.
“The critical element that came out of the first BRF is the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership (CSCP) which is the highest level of cooperation,” the spokesperson added. “I see BRI as a natural progression of the relationship that Ethiopia and China have had over the years,” she said, adding “it has also become a critical element in facilitating the relations between the two countries.”
Ethiopia has already benefited from its inclusion in the BRI, with the successful commissioning of the Chinese-built and financed 756km Ethiopia-Djibouti electrified railway, which connects landlocked Ethiopia’s capital to Djibouti port along the Red Sea. “The Addis Ababa-Djibouti electrified railway is another element and manifestation of the strong relationship that has come through this initiative,” she said.
The Press Secretariat further noted that the Ethiopian government is presently working to further enhance its ties with China, as the East African countries embarked on “the most significant economic reforms in almost three decades.” “The expectation is really about the more enhanced partnership with China, mainly by taking the advantages of the opening up of the economy that followed recent Ethiopian economic sector reforms,” she said.
Teshome Toga, Ethiopian Ambassador to China on his part said infrastructure cooperation between China and Ethiopia, like the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway and the new airport terminal, has witnessed phenomenal growth under the framework of the BRI, which aims to propel global connectivity and achieve shared growth among the countries involved.
“We seized the Belt and Road Initiative,” said Ambassador Teshome. “I think it’s something that is benefiting both sides.” Ambassador Teshome is highly expectant of the RBI forum. “New direction would be set with lessons we have learned from the past two years’ experience, I think,” he said. “More and more countries should be interested, and we hope that more countries will participate in the initiative,” he added. A total of 126 countries and 29 international organizations have signed cooperation documents with China on the initiative.
With the support of Chinese businesses, industrial parks built in other Belt and Road countries have generated nearly 300,000 local jobs. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy arrived in China Tuesday to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), which would be held in from April 25-27 in Beijing.
The Ethiopian Herald April 25/2019
BY GIRMACHEW GASHAW
