Mozambique and Ethiopia are opening a new chapter in bilateral relations, marked by the start of the official visit of the President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, to Addis Ababa.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Maria Manuela dos Santos Lucas, said in statements to the press in the Ethiopian capital that no official or working visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia had taken place for several years.
According to the minister, contacts between the two countries have occurred mainly on the sidelines of African Union summits, which gives this trip a special character.
“For many years no visits were made to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Normally, visits were made as part of African Union summits. That is why this is a special and historic visit,” said Maria Lucas.
The minister explained that the visit stems from a meeting held last February, during the African Union summit, and reflects Mozambique's interest in deepening cooperation and learning from experience in areas such as illegal migration, agriculture and public security.
On the official programme, Daniel Chapo is due to meet representatives of 22 major Ethiopian companies, including Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Telecom and financial-sector institutions. A visit to a local defence complex is also planned.
According to a Government statement, the agenda also includes visits to an industrial park and an Artificial Intelligence Centre.
Earlier this Monday, the Mozambican head of state visited the Adwa Victory Memorial Monument, where he laid a wreath. The site symbolises the decisive battle of the First Italo-Ethiopian War, in which troops led by Emperor Menelik II defeated the Italian colonial army, making Ethiopia the only African nation to avoid European colonisation during the Scramble for Africa.
