Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia need to exploit their historic ties with lots of potential for cooperation in various spheres, House of People’s Representatives (HPR) Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee Member Ambassador Dina Mufti said.
The longstanding relations of the two countries, both in terms of business relations and people-to-people contacts, are deep-rooted and strong, according to the Foreign Relations and Peace Affairs Standing Committee Member.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Ambassador Dina pointed out that Ethiopia is a country that sheltered Muslims during their persecution.
Muslims from Saudi Arabia fled to Ethiopia and they were welcomed by the then Ethiopian leaders.
He further stated that the business, trade relationship, and cultural relationships between the two countries have developed over the years.
Noting the huge interaction between citizens of the countries, Ambassador Dina stressed the need to further strengthen these relationships.
Geographic proximity is also believed to be an encouraging factor to promote tourism in both countries.
Many Ethiopians live and work in Saudi Arabia, and many more travel to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj every year. This helps to further enhance relations to a higher level.
Ambassador Dina underlined that “Ethiopia is one of the populous countries in Africa and the opportunity of making business with Ethiopia is huge. So, Saudi Arabia can make good use of that.”
There is opportunity for investment, tourism, and technology transfer, he noted, adding that it is possible to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in many spheres.
By identifying areas of cooperation in those areas and further strengthening research to exploit the potential, we can go far, the standing committee member stated.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the relationship between Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia is long-standing, historic, and firmly established on people-to-people ties over the centuries.
The solid foundation of bilateral relationship and partnership was laid with the First Hijrah in the 7th century when Ethiopia welcomed the followers of the Prophet Mohammed by providing sanctuary and hospitality.
Furthermore Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia have recently agreed to bolster the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia began diplomatic relations in 1949.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency