Tehran, IRNA – Iranian and Ethiopian parliament speakers have emphasized the enhancement of economic, political, and parliamentary cooperation, and the removal of obstacles for the private sector.
Mohammad-Bagher Qalibaf and his Ethiopian counterpart Tagesse Chafo met and held talks in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, on Friday.
Qalibaf, who is leading a parliamentary delegation to Ethiopia to develop bilateral relations, arrived there on Thursday.
In this meeting, Qalibaf emphasized the importance of establishing the Ethiopian embassy in Tehran, stating that this action could be the beginning of the development of economic and political relations.
He also referred to the release of four Ethiopian sailors from Iranian prisons, adding that this matter was pursued domestically in Iran but could have been resolved sooner had Ethiopia had an embassy in Tehran.
Stressing Ethiopia's position in East Africa, especially in providing regional security and stability, he added that strengthening economic relations and regional security is of great importance, especially because Iran’s policy is to expand relations with African countries, including Ethiopia.
Praising Ethiopia for its recent economic growth, Qalibaf said that with a large population and strong economy, Ethiopia has a good capacity for expanding economic relations with Iran.
He also expressed dissatisfaction because the joint economic commission of the two countries has not had a meeting in 10 years, noting that one of the goals of this trip was to take steps to revive this commission.
Qalibaf continued that Iran has several capabilities in the fields of knowledge-based industries, health, artificial intelligence, and medical equipment and can cooperate with Ethiopia in these areas.
For his part, Chafo expressed interest in the re-establishment of the joint economic commission and added that his country is ready to expand its commercial, parliamentary, and diplomatic relations with Iran.
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