Ethiopia, Thailand agree to expedite diplomatic and economic bilateral ties

Addis Ababa, October 6, 2022 (FBC) – Ethiopia and Thailand agreed to expedite bilateral relations by reinitiating the various draft agreements and the technical cooperation between the two countries that remained at a document exchange level, said Tizita Mulugeta, Ambassador of Ethiopia to India, non resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bangladish.

Ambassador Tizita Mulugeta met with Darm Boontham, Director-General of South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African Affairs at Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the discussion, Ambassador Tizita briefed the director general about the current state of affairs in Ethiopia, in particular, the historical context and precipitating factors of the conflict in the nation’s north as well as the belligerent character of the TPLF.

The Ambassador also addressed the trilateral negotiation over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), stressing Ethiopia’s unwavering commitment to resume the African Union-led process.

She further discussed ways to enhance relations between Ethiopia and Thailand in a wide range of areas.

In this regard, Ambassador Tizita reminded the Director-General about the previously held discussion during her working visit to Thailand to reinitiate the various draft agreements and the technical cooperation between the two countries that remained at a document exchange level, such as the establishment of high-level bilateral political consultation, visa waiver for diplomatic passport holders, a draft on cultural cooperation agreement as well as tourism cooperation agreements.

Darm Boontham, on his part, thanked the Ambassador for the overall briefing and appreciated the Government’s effort to resolve the conflict peacefully under the African Union leadership.

The DG further conveyed the interest of Thailand in strengthening the long-standing relations between the two countries and reaffirmed the need to expedite and put into action the various agreements exchanged between the two countries.

He also mentioned the importance of the AU-led negotiation on the GERD to resolve outstanding issues among the riparian states.

Finally, Ambassador Tizita had a brief meeting with Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai. Both sides discussed the current situation in Ethiopia as well as consolidating the bilateral ties and further cooperation on mutual concerns at the multilateral level.