DPM & FM Demeke welcomes his Japanese counterpart

Addis Ababa, August 3, 2023 (FBC) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen, earlier today received at his office Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.

It is known that the Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is Ethiopia for an official visit.

During their discussions DPM & FM Demeke and Hayashi agreed to work closely to elevate Ethio-Japanese cooperation in bilateral and multilateral venues. In particular, they reaffirmed their commitment to boost the trade, investment, innovation, capacity building and development cooperation between the two countries.

DPM & FM Demeke told FM Hayashi, Ethiopia and Japan should work hand in hand to foster partnership in bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest. He also expressed the gratitude to the Japanese government for its continued assistance in the peace-keeping efforts of Ethiopia.

The government of Ethiopia is committed to the full implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement, that is on a positive trajectory and needs the continued support of international partners such as Japan, especially the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, Demeke asserted.

He also lauded the timely support of the Japanese government to the National Dialogue process that is part of the post-war peace consolidation efforts of the Ethiopian government.

Speaking of people fleeing the war in Sudan, DPM & FM mentioned the fact that Ethiopia at the moment is hosting 70,000 refugees. While calling upon the international community to support the efforts, he stressed, lasting solution in Sudan could only be reached through dialogue and negotiation through the IGAD process under the umbrella of the African Union while ensuring that the peace process is owned and led by the People of Sudan.

For his part, the Japanese FM, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said his country appreciates the improving situation in Ethiopia and vowed the support of his government. “We are keen to bolster multifaceted cooperation between Ethiopia and Japan in the areas of human capacity development, development assistance, scaling up Japanese investment in Ethiopia in tandem with supporting the humanitarian assistance effort of the Ethiopian government.

The two dignitaries also reiterated the need to work closely on mitigating the drastic effects of climate-change induced challenges as well as the peaceful use of nuclear energy.