For strings of years, Ethiopian Airlines has been selected as the best airliner in Africa. With its growing connectivity, the flag bearer has also been a diplomat in action helping the country’s diplomatic missions. The airline has been promoting Ethiopia’s diplomatic objectives in terms of service provision and strengthening people-to-people partnerships.
Carrying the tri-colored Ethiopian flag, Ethiopian has been flying to all corners of the globe connecting not only Ethiopia but Africa with the rest of the world. More flights mean more connectivity and enhanced cultural, economic and political exchanges between countries. From the host of the United Nations to the seat of the European Union, Ethiopia is flying to countries around the close range to the far lungs of the world. With Warsaw, the seat of NATO being its latest destination in direct flights, the airlines have linked Ethiopia to strategic places.
The airline has also been one of the major flight service providers around the world and the best in Africa. It has tested its potential not only by transporting passengers from around the world but also by providing cargo services that stand for humanity even at times of adversity like COVID-19.
The flag carrier has also received various awards for its outstanding performance in the service sector, but it is far more important for Ethiopia and its people as it serves as a flying diplomat and promotes and strengthens the bond between people around the globe in several ways.
From the cusp of becoming operational back on April 08, 1946, the Ethiopian Airlines Group kept stretching its wings to every corner of the world. The airline has been popular in providing the best quality of services for its passengers with Ethiopian hospitality. Advancing its popularity and acceptance in the aviation industry, the Ethiopian continues to add more destinations to its pocket. To this point, just recently, the Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced the starting of a direct flight to Warsaw, Poland which marks its 24th Europe destination and more than 135 destinations globally.
Such transportation service has a huge impact on a country’s overall socio-economic and people-to-people partnership with its destination countries. As a result, the flag carrier has been connecting Ethiopia to the world and scaling up partnerships. Again, diplomatic activities are highly intermingled with such connections between countries. Ethiopia has been used as a tool to foster collaborations between Ethiopia and its destinations.
During the inaugural ceremony of the direct flight from Addis to Warsaw, Poland, Mesfin Tassew, CEO of the Ethiopian Airlines Group, voiced the positive effect of such a flight for the nation and how partnerships can be fostered.
Mesfin stated, “Our two countries have built strong economic and diplomatic ties, fostering collaboration in various sectors including trade, tourism and cultural exchange. This new route will further strengthen our bilateral relations, opening new avenues for cooperation and growth.”
Apart from that, the Ethiopian has been an inspiration of Pan- Pan-Africanism and connecting the African continent to the world. Accordingly, Mesfin added that the start of a new route to Warsaw, Poland shows the continuous efforts that the Ethiopian has made to connect Africa to the rest of the world, enhancing Ethiopia’s global network and facilitating the movement of people and goods across continents.
In addition, the CEO noted, “This momentous occasion marks a significant milestone in our airlines’ unwavering commitment to expanding our global reach and connecting to the world. As the largest pan-African airline in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines is continuously striving to bridge continents and cultures, fostering economic growth and cultural exchange. Our expansion into Warsaw is a testament to our belief in the immense potential of Poland and its thriving economy.”
The CEO has also noted the Airline’s recent awards and achievements, saying, “Ethiopian Airlines continues to soar, recently honored with six prestigious awards, including the Best Airline in Africa for the seventh consecutive year.”
By the same token, Misganu Arega, State Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on his part, also discussed the two counterparts’ bilateral relations in various areas. He said the commencement of the direct flight between the two countries has the potential to strengthen the two nations’ diplomatic and economic ties, adding, “Ethiopia and Poland share a history of friendship and cooperation that spans decades. We established a diplomatic relation in the 1930s, which makes it 94 years of diplomatic relation.”
Misganu also expressed that the two nations’ bilateral relations are cemented in mutual respect, shared values, and a commitment to advocating peace and development on both regional and global scales. “Back-to-back High Government Official visits from Emperor Haile Selassie and President Mulatu Teshome to President Andrzej Duda are a testament to the historical and cordial relations between the two nations that enjoyed for close to a century,” added Misganu.
“Education and people-to-people relations and exchanges are also integral to our bilateral relations. Poland’s expertise in the academic field, such as engineering, medicine, and science complements Ethiopia’s commitment to enhance the educational infrastructure capabilities. Poland is supporting Ethiopia’s educational sector in school-age scholarship programs, of which Ethiopia is currently the second-highest recipient in sub-Saharan Africa,” said the state minister.
On top of that, as to Misganu, the two nations are partnered in sectors including the agricultural mechanization service and health care sectors. Ethiopia considers Poland as its valuable partner as there are several opportunities for collaboration in sectors such as agriculture, technology, and infrastructure development.
“This flight definitely will advance our investment and trade relations, and it will promote Ethiopia’s connectivity to Eastern Europe. It will promote further Africa’s relation to Eastern Europe, particularly to Poland and will not only facilitate easier travel for business leaders and investors but also serve as a channel for exploring new avenues of trade and investment between our two nations. Moreover, the flight symbolizes more than just a connection between two cities. It represents the strengthening of bonds between Ethiopia and Poland,” Misganu added.
Similarly, Przemyslaw Bobak, Ambassador of Poland to Ethiopia, stated that such kind of direct flights connect people, adding, “This type of connection brings societies closer together including the ordinary people, politicians, artists, and also business people. The connection is a huge leap forward to reinforce the bridge between our two countries and also between Africa and Europe,” added the ambassador.
In addition, the ambassador also acknowledged the existing partnership between the two counterparts. “We have always been excellent friends, and our relations, political, economic, and people-to-people contacts are positive. The flight will help us make it even stronger,” Ambassador Bobak elucidated.
Speaking of people-to-people relations, the Ambassador mentioned that Poland has many good universities and foreign students who are skillfuland competitive, and the once who want to deepen their academic knowledge in our academic premises are free to join them. In this regard, as to Ambassador Bobak, the Government of Poland offers special types of scholarships for second-degree students. As it is on a competitive basis, “There are many young Ethiopians who apply and can get this scholarship.”
BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 10 JULY 2024
