Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and his spouse Zinash Tayachew arrive in Hà Nội on Monday afternoon, beginning their four-day official visit to Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and his spouse Zinash Tayachew arrived in Hà Nội on Monday afternoon, beginning their four-day official visit to Việt Nam and attendance at the fourth Partnership for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his spouse.

PM Abiy Ahmed Ali and his entourage were welcomed at Nội Bài International Airport by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Minh Hằng and Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania and Ethiopia Vũ Thanh Huyền.

Việt Nam and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations on February 23, 1976, and are moving toward the 50th founding anniversary of their ties in 2026. The two countries enjoy a longstanding friendship and regularly support each other at multilateral forums.

This is the first official visit to Việt Nam by a high-ranking Ethiopian leader since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1976. It is also the first high-level delegation exchange between Việt Nam and Ethiopia in seven years.

In his previous meetings with Vietnamese leaders, the Ethiopian PM always affirmed that his country attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen relations with Việt Nam.

The Communist Party of Việt Nam maintains good relations with Ethiopia’s Prosperity Party (the ruling party) and previously with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (1988–2019). High-ranking leaders of the two Parties frequently exchange greetings and congratulations on the occasion of each other's congresses. The two sides consistently support one another at multilateral forums and international organisations.

In terms of economy, trade and investment, Ethiopia has recognised Việt Nam as a market economy since 2014. Two-way trade in the past four years has stood at US$10-15 million. MK Group, the only Vietnamese enterprise with a joint venture in smart card production in Ethiopia with a capital contribution of 60 per cent, is promoting cooperation in the field of cyber security and information security serving defence purposes. — VNS