Ilham Aliyev held expanded meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister and several documents were signed between the two countries

AZERBAIJAN, February 27 - On February 27, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held an expanded meeting with Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Welcoming the guests, President Ilham Aliyev said: Mr. Prime Minister, dear guests, welcome to Azerbaijan. I'm very glad that you are visiting us. We just had a very good conversation with Mr. Prime Minister and covered many important areas of our partnership. I expressed gratitude to Mr. Prime Minister for his hospitality in hosting my daughter, Leyla, who recently visited Ethiopia, and she was very impressed. By the way, this is the first time she has participated in any meeting of delegations, and this gives her a special feeling toward your country and your people. I'd like to congratulate you on all your achievements.

Under your leadership, Ethiopia is developing successfully, is an important member of the international community, and has a growing economy. Of course, we are very interested in strengthening our bilateral ties in the political, economic, energy, agriculture, and cultural areas. So I'm sure that this visit will be an important factor for our future successful cooperation and will bring very good results to our countries and peoples. Once again, welcome.

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Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali said: Mr. President, my dear brother. I'm so privileged and honored to be in this beautiful country. Baku is much more than I expected — clean and beautiful. It shows the dedication, devotion, and vision of your leadership. I'm very happy about it. I'd also like to congratulate you for making all your friends proud and for giving us the opportunity to learn something great from you. Our relationship with your great country, as you have said, is just beginning, but we will make it structural, practical, and with clear outcomes.

There are many common interests between our countries, and there is also alignment between the two of us. I hope we are just starting, but in the next few years, there will be critical areas in which we will invest together and make a difference for both our countries.

Regarding Leyla, I would like to congratulate you for having such a seasoned and great daughter, who can communicate with friends and build relationships on a strong foundation. On the next visit, I'm sure she will see more parts of our country, and I will also send my team and my family to learn more about Azerbaijan and strengthen our relationship.

There are plenty of areas that we are going to discuss. We have had a very fruitful discussion with you, and some points we might continue to discuss here. In general, I'm so happy to have had the time to visit your beautiful country. I'm already thrilled. I’m already excited to know more, learn more, and to work with you in many areas. Thank you very much, Mr. President.

President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.

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During the meeting, both sides hailed the development of political dialogue between Azerbaijan and Ethiopia and discussed cooperation within international organizations. They also exchanged views on the prospects for cooperation in joint personnel training in agriculture, mining, energy, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence, as well as collaboration in tourism, culture, education, and student exchange programs.

The discussion further highlighted the successful operation of centers in Ethiopia based on the “ASAN Khidmet” concept, as well as the application of the “DOST” model.

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Following the meeting, in the presence of President Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia Gedion Timothewos signed the “Agreement on Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in the Field of Defense” and the “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Organization of the Thirty-Second Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP32) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”

Additionally, during the Ethiopian Prime Minister’s visit to Azerbaijan, the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia,” the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Federal Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission of Ethiopia,” the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Export and Investment Promotion Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ethiopian Investment Commission,” and the “Memorandum of Understanding between Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC and the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation” were also signed.