Ethiopian, Indian FMs Discuss Shared Concerns, GERD

ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen, and his Indian counterpart, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, met on Sunday to discuss shared concerns of the two countries and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The discussion was held in New York where the Ethiopian and Indian delegations led by the two ministers are attending the United Nations General Assembly meeting of leaders.

“I met Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar in New York & discussed shared concerns besides GERD & the current situation in Ethiopia,” said Demeke, who is also the deputy Prime Minister of Ethiopia.

“We pledged to strengthen cooperation to cement ties between the two countries,” he added.

Recently, Demeke expressed Ethiopia’s appreciation of India’s “principled” stance on its territorial integrity as well as the Asian nation’s support to the African Union-led negotiation over the GERD during the recent UN security council sessions.

In a brief message posted on Twitter, Indian external affairs Minister confirmed Sunday’s meeting discussed the issue of GERD as well as other developments in the region.

It also “reviewed our strong bilateral partnership”, said Dr. Jaishankar.

The Asian country is one of the top investors in the East African nation. At least 617 Indian companies are registered with the Ethiopian Investment Commission and employ about 75000 workers, according to its embassy in Addis Ababa.