Ilham Aliyev, Abiy Ahmed Ali Hold Expanded Talks, Sign Key Cooperation Agreements in Baku
Baku, The Gulf Observer: Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting on February 27 with Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, during the latter’s official visit to Azerbaijan.
Welcoming the Ethiopian delegation, President Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the visit and noted that the two leaders had held productive discussions covering a wide range of areas related to bilateral partnership. He conveyed appreciation for the hospitality extended to his daughter, Leyla Aliyeva, during her recent visit to Ethiopia, describing it as a gesture that further strengthened people-to-people ties.
President Aliyev congratulated Prime Minister Abiy on Ethiopia’s achievements, highlighting the country’s growing economy and its important role within the international community. He underscored Azerbaijan’s interest in expanding cooperation with Ethiopia across political, economic, energy, agricultural, and cultural spheres, expressing confidence that the visit would yield tangible outcomes for both nations.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed thanked President Aliyev for the warm reception and praised Azerbaijan’s development and progress. He emphasized that while bilateral relations are still at an early stage, both sides are committed to building a structured and results-oriented partnership. He noted the alignment of interests between the two countries and expressed optimism about joint investments and cooperation in key sectors in the coming years.
During the meeting, the two leaders commended the advancement of political dialogue between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia and discussed collaboration within international organizations. They reviewed prospects for joint personnel training in agriculture, mining, energy, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence, as well as cooperation in tourism, culture, education, and student exchange programs.
The sides also highlighted the successful implementation in Ethiopia of service centers based on Azerbaijan’s “ASAN Khidmet” model, along with the application of the “DOST” concept.
Following the talks, several bilateral documents were signed in the presence of the two leaders. Jeyhun Bayramov and Gedion Timothewos signed an Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Defense and a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in organizing the 32nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP32) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Additional memoranda of understanding were concluded between the respective ministries and institutions of the two countries in the fields of agriculture, anti-corruption, investment promotion, and broadcasting, marking a significant step toward strengthening comprehensive bilateral cooperation.
