PM Abiy Ahmed Ali and his entourage were welcomed at Noi Bai International Airport by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang and Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania and Ethiopia Vu Thanh Huyen.

Vietnam and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations on February 23, 1976, and are moving toward the 50th founding anniversary of their ties in 2026. The two countries enjoy a longstanding friendship and regularly support each other at multilateral forums.

leftcenterrightdel
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang welcomes Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and his spouse Zinash Tayachew at the airport.  

This is the first official visit to Vietnam by a high-ranking Ethiopian leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976. It is also the first high-level delegation exchange between Vietnam and Ethiopia in seven years.

In previous meetings with Vietnamese leaders, the Ethiopian PM always affirmed that his country attaches importance to, and wishes to strengthen relations with Vietnam.

The Communist Party of Vietnam maintains good relations with Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party (the ruling party) and previously with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (1988 – 2019). High-ranking leaders of the two Parties frequently exchange greetings and congratulations on the occasion of each other's congresses. The two sides consistently support one another at multilateral forums and international organisations.

In terms of economy, trade and investment, Ethiopia has recognised Vietnam as a market economy since 2014. Two-way trade in the past four years has stood at 10-15 million USD.  MK Group, the only Vietnamese enterprise with a joint venture in smart card production in Ethiopia with a capital contribution of 60%, is promoting cooperation in the field of cyber security and information security serving defence purposes.

Source: VNA