The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have agreed to enhance defence and aviation cooperation, reaffirming their commitment to deepen bilateral relations and strengthen strategic engagement across multiple sectors.
The understanding was reached during a meeting between H.E. Dr. Jemal Beker Abdula, Special Envoy and Ambassador Extraordinary of Ethiopia to Pakistan, and H.E. Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Federal Minister for Defence of Pakistan.
Both sides discussed the growing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and Pakistan in diverse areas including peace and security, defence, aviation, climate change, trade and investment, culture, and tourism.
Ambassador Dr. Jemal briefed the Defence Minister on the recent inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), underscoring its foundation on the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization of water and its role in regional integration and sustainable development without causing harm to any neighboring country.
Highlighting Ethiopia’s rapid progress in the aviation sector, the Ambassador expressed interest in expanding flight operations to additional destinations in Pakistan, beyond the current Karachi route, to promote closer people-to-people and business connectivity.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif commended Ethiopia’s visionary leadership, praising Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed’s transformative reforms aimed at achieving socio-economic growth and national resilience.
He also lauded Ethiopia’s constructive role in promoting peace, stability, and security in the Horn of Africa and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Ethiopia’s initiatives in advancing regional harmony and development.