BY LEULSEGED WORKU
Ethiopia and Chile are two countries which enjoyed close economic, diplomatic and cultural relations. The two nations though are situated in different geographical locations; they have common social and cultural factors that tie them together. Aside from agriculture, which is the economic basis of Ethiopia’s economy, the presence of several natural resources makes Ethiopia and Chile similar. What is more, their economic activities and ambitious development plans also make them unique and similar.
Lately, the two countries convened a meeting with the view of further strengthening the pre-existing diplomatic relationships between Ethiopia and Chile. During the meeting, Foreign Affairs State Minister Ambassador Tesfaye Yilma expressed the need for strengthening the Ethio-Chile relationships to cooperate in multilateral institutions, including on the human rights issues in the U.N. and continue sustaining solidarity through South-South cooperation.
As to him, strengthening the bilateral relationship of the two countries has a crucial role not only to strengthen Ethio-Chile relationship; but also with the African Union. The Chilean Secretary-General for Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Alex Wetzig underlined the importance of the meeting in strengthening relationships between Chile and Ethiopia: one of the influential countries in Africa as the seat of the African Union.
On the occasion, Tesfaye Yilma, State Minister for Political and Economic Diplomacy and Ambassador Alex Wetzig, signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish Political Consultation which would help to strengthen the bilateral relations.
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Institute of Foreign Affairs Desalegn Ambaw (PhD) and Ambassador Alex, on behalf of Diplomatic Academy of ‘Andrés Bello’ have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on capacity-building between the diplomatic institutions.
With regard to the relations of the two countries- Ethiopia, Chile and relating to the MoU signed between the two, The Ethiopian Herald had a short stay with, Ambassador Alex Wetzig, Secretary-General for Foreign Policy of Foreign Affairs of Chile.
According to the Secretary General, the political consultation MoU the Chile Government has signed with its Ethiopian counterpart is a good indication how the two countries have decided to work together.
He also said that the MoU for Diplomatic cooperation is expected to deepen the bilateral relationship of Ethiopia and Chile. This agreement and other cooperation between Ethiopia and Chile are considered as a first step towards further agreements. Ambassador Alex said that Ethiopia and Chile have similarities in various fields. These similarities are not only in areas of success. There are also commonalities in challenges. Therefore, the more the two countries work in harmony, the more they will learn from each other. By sharing of experiences on best practices, it is possible to sing the same song- solve common problems.
According to the Secretary General, the mutual cooperation of the two countries will include supporting the Ethiopian economy and other sectors by sharing experiences as well as providing educational opportunities and promoting similar supportive mechanisms.
The Secretary General also underlined his country’s keenness to work with the African Union in various fields. Chilean Ambassador to Ethiopia, Fernando Zalaquett, on his part said that the mutual cooperation of the two countries is growing from time to time. Since Ethiopia and Chile are two sisterly countries that share several socio-cultural practices, his country is happy to work with Ethiopia.
While talking about cooperation on investment, Ambassador Fernando revealed that Chilean investors are keen to explore Ethiopia’s untapped investment opportunities and engage in range of activities. The Bahir Dar Fresh Fruits Plc. a private firm engaged in the production of Blueberries is a good example of this.
The Ambassador also said that the cultural and educational areas are the other areas where the two countries will further reinforce their cooperation. As part of its mission to deepen cultural exchanges, the Embassy had recently organized a film festival. On which a film called Superno that was produced by an Ethiopian film maker and sponsored by the Chile Embassy was launched. What is more, the Embassy had also facilitated grounds to the filmmakers to have first-hand experience in Chile.Facilitating educational opportunities to Ethiopian students to pursue their education in Chile is another are of cooperation where his government is engaged in.
Ambassador Fernando Zalaquett, said that Ethiopia and Chile have several cultural and social similarities. Capitalizing on these similarities will further heighten the bilateral relationship of Ethiopia and Chile.
This is an era where the internet, particularly social media, has brought peoples from different geographical locations, different cultural practices, and customs together; to communicate and create social networking When one visits or reads about the socio-cultural activities of Chileans and Ethiopians, he/she can easily realize several similarities between the two. The lifestyle of the peoples of the two countries and their respect to their traditions makes the two countries more similar. Therefore, capitalizing on similarities and sharing experiences in areas where the two countries have common problems will ease the road towards success, Ambassador Fernando remarked.
Ethiopia and Chile started diplomatic relations in the 1960s. As countries of multi cultures and tourist attractions, Ethiopia and Chile can work more in these sectors by sharing experiences. As it was noted by the Chilean Ambassador, his government is committed and interested to work in investment, trade and other activities. He also stressed that his country’s interest to work with the African Union is part of its commitment and vision to prosper together. Ethiopia has a good reputation with regard to its strong diplomatic relations with countries and its partnership on many issues of mutual concern at both regional and global level.
The Ethiopian Herald July 16/2022
