Conversation with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed

President of Russia Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in India.

The Russian delegation included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Lavrov SergeiMinister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation ; Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk Overchuk AlexeiDeputy Prime Minister of the Government of the Russian Federation , Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin Oreshkin MaximDeputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office ; Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office and Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov Peskov DmitryDeputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office, Presidential Press Secretary ; Aide to the President Yury Ushakov Ushakov YuryAide to the President ; Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut Lut OksanaMinister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation ; Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko Murashko MikhailMinister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation ; Minister of Economic Development and Chair of the Russian part of the of the Russian-Ethiopian Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Maxim Reshetnikov Reshetnikov MaximMinister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation ; Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev; Deputy Minister of Energy Pavel Sorokin; Deputy Minister of Finance Ivan Chebeskov; Deputy Governor of the Central Bank Vladimir Chistyukhin; President of the Russian Fertiliser Producers Association, member of the Board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Head of the Russian Segment of the BRICS Business Council Andrei Guryev, and Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Alexei Likhachev Likhachev AlexeiDirector General of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom .

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mister Prime Minister,

I am glad to meet with you again.

I know that yesterday your country celebrated the New Year 2019 according to the Ethiopian calendar, and I would like to congratulate you and the entire friendly Ethiopian people on this holiday.

Our today's meeting is taking place on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. We have just delivered our speeches; everyone has spoken and described our association. Today, BRICS is a fully fledged strategic partnership designed to consolidate the positions of the global majority and shape the outlines of a just, multipolar international order.

Since January 1, 2024, Ethiopia has been a full-fledged member of the group and we are very glad about it. It is symbolic that the beginning of our Ethiopian friends' practical work within the BRICS mechanisms coincided with the beginning of Russia's chairmanship. Since then, Ethiopia has been making a constructive contribution to its diverse activities.

As for the bilateral relations, as you mentioned, we have now discussed almost everything while we were riding in the car, and I would like to point out again that Ethiopia is a long-standing and reliable partner of Russia on the African continent. I can state with satisfaction that Russian-Ethiopian ties continue to develop based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit. I want to thank you, Mr Prime Minister, for your personal contribution that you are making to strengthen our ties.

We have achieved a rapid growth in mutual trade. In 2025, it more than tripled and continues to grow. This is a good indicator.

We pay considerable attention to humanitarian cooperation. More than 20,000 of your citizens have received an education in Russia and this provides a very good foundation for our future humanitarian ties.

Of course, Russia attaches particular importance to the comprehensive development of relations with African countries in general. Ethiopia has actively participated in the Russia-Africa summits. This year, as we agreed, we look forwards to your visit for the third summit, which is to be held in Moscow on October 28-29, and we will hold another bilateral meeting. Today, we have the opportunity to discuss the entire range of our relations.

I am very glad to meet with you.

Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ahmed AbiyPrime Minister of Ethiopia : Mr President, as always, it is a great honour to have the opportunity to see you. We have been discussing so many critical issues. Mr President, I valued our time together in Moscow. Since our last meeting, things have been going so well. Our trade has grown several times. I hope there is a big room to grow still.

A month ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mr Lavrov, came to Ethiopia. We sent him back with a "seven-year discount". He was old when he came, but he came back younger because we are in 2019. He came as 2026, and he went back younger, ready to serve you for longer.

Mr President, things have been going very, very well since our last meeting. In terms of our military cooperation, trade exchange, investment and, as you have said, scholarships for students, we are very grateful for our bilateral relationship, as well as in the multilateral aspect.

Mr President, without your support, Ethiopia cannot be a member of the BRICS. We are always grateful for that. We know what you have done and we are grateful. I am sure we will pay back when the time comes. Thank you very much for our meeting, Mr President.

Mr President, as always, it is a great honour to have the opportunity to see you. We have been discussing so many critical issues. Mr President, I valued our time together in Moscow. Since our last meeting, things have been going so well. Our trade has grown several times. I hope there is a big room to grow still.

A month ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Mr Lavrov, came to Ethiopia. We sent him back with a "seven-year discount". He was old when he came, but he came back younger because we are in 2019. He came as 2026, and he went back younger, ready to serve you for longer.

Mr President, things have been going very, very well since our last meeting. In terms of our military cooperation, trade exchange, investment and, as you have said, scholarships for students, we are very grateful for our bilateral relationship, as well as in the multilateral aspect.

Mr President, without your support, Ethiopia cannot be a member of the BRICS. We are always grateful for that. We know what you have done and we are grateful. I am sure we will pay back when the time comes. Thank you very much for our meeting, Mr President.

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