Ethiopia, Slovenia Seek to Strengthen Relations

ADDIS ABABA – Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen has held talks with his Slovenian counterpart Tanja Fajon who is in an official visit to Ethiopia.

Fajon and her delegation began their three-day visit to Ethiopia on Monday in light of the imminent opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Addis Ababa.

“The main purpose of the visit is to strengthen relations between the two countries,” the foreign ministry of the European nation disclosed earlier today.

‘Agree to diversify areas of cooperation‘

Demeke received Deputy Prime Minister Fajon, who is also the Minister of Foreign & European Affairs of Slovenia, in his office on Monday.

After the meeting, the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia says the two Deputy Prime Ministers have agreed to “diversify and take the relations to a new height.”

DPM Demeke briefed his Slovenian counterpart about the ongoing implementation of the Pretoria Peace Agreement.

DPM Fojon, who commended the implementation of the Peace Agreement, expressed the commitment of her government to support all implementation efforts.

She also stated that Slovenia is prepared to open an Embassy in Addis Ababa, the political and diplomatic capital of Africa.

The Slovenian top diplomat has also held discussions with Health Minister Dr. Lia Tadesse, in Addis Ababa.

Dr. Lia stated that the Ethiopian government places the highest priority on public healthcare (PHC).

“We discussed potential cooperation areas in health related to our priorities in PHC, public health emergency and specialty care,” said Dr Lia.

Foreign Minister Fajon also spoke about the effective healthcare reforms that Slovenia implemented.

Ethiopia can learn from this experience, said Fajon, adding that the opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Addis Ababa could aid in the exchange of experiences in the health sector.

The Slovenian delegation is expected to hold similar bilateral talks during the three-day official stay in Ethiopia.

The visit comes ahead of an ‘Africa Day International Conference’ set to take place in Slovenia next week.

The annual conference – organized by the host nation, the London-based Chatham House, and the European Commission – will discuss “opportunities and challenges of cooperation between Europe and Africa in the area of climate security”.

Until today, foreign ministers of Togo, Ghana, Libya, Comoros, Malawi, and Gambia have confirmed participation.