Official Visit of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali, 4 to 6 June 2024

          Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali received a ceremonial welcome at the Istana today. He called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, who hosted an Official Dinner in Prime Minister Abiy’s honour. Prime Minister Abiy and his spouse First Lady Zinash Tayachew also had a new orchid hybrid, Aranda Abiy Ahmed Zinash Tayachew, named in their honour. 

         President Tharman and Prime Minister Abiy reaffirmed the friendly ties between Singapore and Ethiopia, noting that 2024 marks the 55^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. President Tharman encouraged Prime Minister Abiy to strengthen the bilateral relationship through areas including air connectivity, tourism, governance and education.

         Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Abiy exchanged views on bilateral relations and international developments. As key nodes in our respective regions, both leaders noted that Singapore and Ethiopia could serve as gateways to enhance linkages between Southeast Asia and Africa. Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Abiy agreed to explore expanding bilateral cooperation in air connectivity, logistics, digitalisation, and capacity-building. Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Abiy witnessed the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultations between the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ethiopia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The bilateral consultations will provide a regular dialogue mechanism for both sides to review and explore new areas of cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments. Prime Minister Wong and Prime Minister Abiy also witnessed the signing of a Statement of Intent between the Ministry of Transport of Singapore andthe Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Ethiopia to further strengthen transport cooperation between Singapore and Ethiopia.

         Prime Minister Abiy will depart Singapore tomorrow.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

5 JUNE 2024