President Erdoğan: We are carrying out important projects with Ethiopia in terms of humanitarian and development aid
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia held a joint press conference at the Presidential Complex following their tête-à-tête and the meeting between the delegations.
Extending his condolences for the Ethiopian citizens who lost their lives at the flood disaster in Addis Ababa, President Erdoğan drew attention to the 125th anniversary of the beginning of the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Ethiopia, and said that today’s talks addressed all aspects of the bilateral relations between Turkey and Ethiopia with an emphasis on economy and trade.
“OUR COMPANIES PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT TO NEARLY 10 THOUSAND ETHIOPIAN CITIZENS”
Underscoring that the steps to achieve the bilateral trade volume goal of 1 billion dollars were also addressed at the talks, President Erdoğan said that the amount of the Turkish investments in Ethiopia had reached some 2.5 billion dollars, and added: “Our companies contribute to the Ethiopian economy in many sectors, including infrastructure, transportation, textile, ready-made clothing and furniture, and provide employment to nearly 10 thousand Ethiopian citizens. We want the investments of our companies that operate in Ethiopia to increase. We encourage them to do so as well. And I believe that Ethiopian authorities will provide every kind of support to our companies during this process. We are carrying out important projects with Ethiopia in terms of humanitarian and development aid.”
“WE ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO ETHIOPIA’S PEACE AND UNITY”
Noting that regional and international developments were also discussed during both meetings, President Erdoğan went on to say: “As you know, Ethiopia is going through a sensitive process. We discussed the developments and current situation in the Tigray region. We attach importance to the peace, tranquility and unity of Ethiopia which has a strategic location and importance in Africa. We think it is important to produce resolutions to current problems in a moderate manner in terms of preserving the environment of peace and stability in the region. If the situation there worsens, it will affect all the countries in the region. The tension between Sudan and Ethiopia, both of which are our friends, in the al-Fashaga region was also on the agenda of our meetings. We had discussed this issue with Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman al-Burhan who was in Turkey for an official visit last week. I explained that it was my heartfelt wish that the dispute would be settled through dialogue between the two countries and on the basis of good neighborly relations. As Turkey we stand ready to make every contribution, including mediation, for the peaceful resolution of the issue.”
President Erdoğan further stressed that all the schools of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Ethiopia had been handed over to the Turkish Maarif Foundation, and thanked Prime Minister Ahmed Ali of Ethiopia for the support they provided to Turkey’s fight against this terrorist organization.
