ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia's Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros on Tuesday (May 7th) met a 10-man parliamentary delegation from the State of Kuwait. During the discussions, Dr. Tedros appreciated the historical relations between the two countries, adding that their current relations have gone to an even higher level. This has been manifested by the visit of His Highness Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Ethiopia last July. An Ethiopian delegation led by Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn will also be visiting Kuwait next week. Dr. Tedros said Ethiopia values Kuwait's development cooperation which is in line with the Government's priorities as set in its five year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP). The Kuwait Fund has provided support for Ethiopia's development activities mainly in the expansion of infrastructure. The Minister who noted the excellent people-to-people relations between the two countries also expressed his belief that the current Ethio-Kuwait Parliamentary Friendship Group will have a significant contribution in further strengthening relations through investment in tertiary hospitals, and greater trade and development. Head of the delegation and President of the Ethio-Kuwait Parliamentary Friendship Group, Dr. Salah Abdul Latif Al-Ateeqi, appreciated Ethiopia's positive role in the Horn of Africa and the continent as a whole as seen through its current chairmanship of both IGAD and the AU. He also expressed the readiness to bolster the excellent development cooperation between the two countries to a further level. The delegation on Wednesday will also meet with the speaker of the House of Ethiopian Peoples Representatives, Abadula Gemeda, and counterpart members of the Ethio-Kuwaiti Parliamentary Friendship Group. An hour earlier, Dr. Tedros also met with the CEO of Hujian Ethiopia Shoe factory, Mrs. Helen Hai. During the course of the meetings, Mrs. Hai described the support received from government institutions in addressing all obstacles Hujian has faced as "beyond her expectations". She also pointed out interest shown by a huge Chinese pharmaceutical firm to invest in Ethiopia, which Dr. Tedros duly welcomed. He also underlined the Government's commitment to properly following up and supporting those investing in Ethiopia. BN
