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President Michael D Higgins meets with President and Prime Minister of Ethiopia

Date: Sat 1st Nov, 2014 | 12:40

In Addis Ababa today, President Michael D Higgins had bilateral meetings with both President Mulatu Teshome and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

Speaking after the meetings, President Higgins said:

“2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Ethiopia, with the future offering ever greater potential for the development of a deeper and mutually fruitful relationship, particularly in the areas of agriculture, innovation and economic development.

The influence of Africa in the world is growing, and Ethiopia has an important leadership role in that transformation.”

During the two meetings, President Higgins highlighted the key role that Ireland is playing as co-facilitator with Kenya in the development of the post-2015 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the challenges discussed in that context include climate change, the important resource of water, sustainability, food security, urbanisation, rural development and job creation.

Much of the warm exchange of views centred on regional issues including the situation in South Sudan and in Somalia, and the role of the international community in resolving these conflicts. The President expressed admiration for Ethiopia’s generous receiving of refugees from these areas through its open borders policies. The President will be travelling west of Addis Ababa tomorrow to Gambella, where he will meet with South Sudanese refugees and Irish NGOs working in the camps.

The President welcomed Ethiopia’s response to the Ebola crisis, including the provision of 1800 volunteers in the ground and its leadership in the Pan-African relief effort.

In the wide-ranging exchanges, there were also broad and open discussions about human rights issues in the wider African context, including the welcome increase in the number of democratically elected governments on the continent, and the ongoing challenges of gender equality, freedom of expression and the need to combat all forms of intolerance.

Today Minister of State for Development, Trade Promotion, and North-South Cooperation, Sean Sherlock TD signed three bilateral agreements between Ireland and Ethiopia: Double-Taxation, Bilateral Cooperation and Transport.