A day after hosting Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Ethiopian Prime Minister led a delegation to Azerbaijan capital Baku where he met with the president, Ilham Aliyev.
The president revealed that Prime Minister Abiy was hospitable to his daughter, Leyla, in Ethiopia for which he expressed gratitude. It is unclear as to when the president’s daughter was in Ethiopia.
The two leaders had an extended one-to-one conversation at the Zagulba Presidential Residence. President Ilham Aliyev described it as “a very good conversation.”
It is indicated that Azerbaijan has interest in strengthening bilateral relations. A Protocol to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries was signed in 1992. Ethiopia is a seat of multilateral institutions like the African Union.
The country has expressed interest in strengthening relations in political, economic, energy, agriculture and cultural areas.
“I am sure that this visit will be an important factor in our future successful cooperation and will bring very good results to our countries and peoples,” President Ilham Aliyev stated.
A news release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia indicates that the two governments have signed Memorandum of Understanding in a range of areas including ” Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defense.”
There have been reports that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is sealing arms procurement deal with Azerbaijan. However, the news could not be verified from independent sources. Last year, there was a report that Azerbaijan ships carrying firearms was detained by Eritrea.
Ethiopia has been experiencing devastating conflicts since Abiy Ahmed became Prime Minister in 2018. The country is now on the verge of what many political analysts predict to be the most devastating conflict. The conflict between the federal government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led Tigray government between 2020 and 2022 is said to have claimed over 600,000 lives. Currently, a more bloody conflict is ravaging the Amhara region. The Oromia region has been experiencing a security crisis for several years now.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has a positive view about his visit to Azerbaijan. “I express my sincere gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the warm and gracious welcome extended to me on my maiden official visit to Azerbaijan,” he wrote on his social media page.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan news release quoted Abiy as saying “There are many common interests between the two countries. There is also a lot of convergence between the two of us. While we are just starting out, I hope that in the next few years there will be important areas where we will invest together and thus make a difference for both countries.”
