The first bilateral Political Consultation between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Sultanate of Oman was held in Addis Ababa on Monday (January 5). The consultation took place at the State Minister level, with the Ethiopian delegation led by Ambassador Hadera Abera, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Omani delegation led by Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman.
The consultation began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a bilateral consultation mechanism between Ethiopia and Oman.
During his opening remarks, Ambassador Hadera emphasized that the MoU and the consultation platform are key to strengthening cooperation and facilitating the exchange of ideas on a mutually beneficial agenda. He noted that Ethiopia and Oman share a rich history and a long-standing partnership that has developed over nearly a century and highlighted that bilateral relations have continued to grow since the establishment of official diplomatic ties in 1995 through regular high-level visits.
The two sides discussed ways to expedite the signing of pending bilateral cooperation agreements and enhance the exchange of high-level visits to further deepen relations and explore new areas of collaboration for the mutual benefit of both countries.
On economic cooperation, they underscored the importance of strengthening trade and investment ties. They highlighted enhanced collaboration between Chambers of Commerce and private sector actors, as well as measures to combat illicit trade, as key steps to boost economic engagement. Both sides also agreed to activate mechanisms for joint business forums to promote investment and trade, building on the MoU signed in 2016 to foster business connections between their Chambers of Commerce.
In the area of social and cultural cooperation, the consultation recognized the importance of collaboration in higher education, health sciences, technology, culture, tourism, and air service connectivity. Both parties also agreed to facilitate legal overseas employment and combat illegal human trafficking, discussing ways to expedite the negotiation and signing of MoUs on labor and anti-smuggling initiatives.
The consultation further emphasized cooperation on regional and multilateral platforms to address shared challenges, including peace and security, counter-terrorism, illegal human trafficking, and the impacts of climate change.
At the conclusion of the session, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the decisions and agreements reached during the first round of the Bilateral Political Consultation and expressed their intent to continue enhancing their mutually beneficial partnership through future consultations.
In addition to the political consultation, the Omani delegation held a courtesy call with Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos and engaged in discussions with Minister of Labour and Skills Muferihat Kamil Ahmed, State Minister of Trade and Regional Integration Abdulakim Mulu, and State Minister of Agriculture Sofiya Kassa during their stay in Ethiopia.