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Vice President Mphoko

Paidamoyo Chipunza Senior Reporter
ETHIOPIAN ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Mustafe Dek Abdisalam has expressed his country’s commitment to cooperating with Zimbabwe to improve existing trade and economic ties. Speaking after meeting Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko at his Munhumutapa offices in Harare yesterday, Ambassador Abdisalam said Ethiopia and Zimbabwe had historical relations, which date back to the struggle against white minority rule.

Ambassador Abdisalam said his meeting with VP Mphoko deliberated on improving these relations particularly in areas of trade and tourism. “We had a very good discussion with the Vice President. We spoke about many things including the historical relationship between the two countries and how we can improve economic cooperation in sectors such as tourism and trade,” said Ambassador Abdisalam.

Ambassador Abdisalam said his embassy will also work towards creating of a platform to share experiences and culture between Zimbabweans and the people of Ethiopia. “Ethiopia has around eight internationally recognised tourist destinations so there is need for a platform to share experiences with people in Zimbabwe for the benefit of our people,” he said

Ethiopia is Africa’s oldest independent country and is second largest in terms of population.

It has a unique cultural heritage, being the home of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church – one of the oldest Christian churches. Ethiopia served as a symbol of African independence throughout the colonial period, and was a founder member of the United Nations and the African base for many international organisations.

The country has made a lot of progress in infrastructure development and agriculture among other successes. There is, however, little economic activity between Zimbabwe and Ethiopia despite the existing diplomatic relations.