Addis ababa: Ankara and Addis Ababa signed two agreements in the fields of economy and energy, in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The signing ceremony took place at the National Palace in the capital, Addis Ababa, during the Turkish President’s visit to Ethiopia.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, and Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Gideon Timotheos, signed the minutes of the ninth session of the Turkish-Ethiopian Joint Economic Committee for Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation. Additionally, Bayraktar and Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy, Habtamu Etefa, signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the energy sector between the Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ethiopian Prime Minister received the Turkish President with official ceremonies in Addis Ababa. Following their meeting, Erdogan and Abiy Ahmed held a joint press conference. During the conference, the Turkish President emphasized the need to prevent the Horn of Africa from becoming an arena for foreign powers to clash, urging the region’s countries to find solutions to their problems.

At the press conference, Erdogan stated that Turkey attaches great importance to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region, expressing no desire to add further conflicts and suffering to the region’s existing hardships. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed mentioned that his country had requested Turkey’s assistance in efforts to gain access to the sea, highlighting this issue as a key item on the agenda of Erdogan’s visit to Ethiopia.

It is worth noting that Ethiopia lost its coastline following Eritrea’s independence in 1993 and is seeking a secure and continuous maritime passage through a peaceful solution.