Ethiopia’s BRICS Membership Opens New Avenues for Cooperation with India: Ambassador Rai.

Addis Ababa: The full membership of Ethiopia in BRICS would open new avenues for further consolidating the Ethio-India cooperation and other partners in the block, Indian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Anil Kumar Rai highlighted. Speaking to ENA, Ambassador Rai said Ethiopia’s entry into BRICS has been resulting in heightening the collaboration.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, the membership has particularly allowed Ethiopia to share and exchange ideas as well as expertise with India and its partners at large within the bloc. Recalled that Ethiopia was among the countries invited to join the BRICS group in 2023 with its membership officially, having begun as of January 2024. And this marks a significant milestone in the African Nation’s global engagement and cooperation with major developing nations.

Recently, Ethiopia has become a full member of BRICS. It opens a new forum for us to cooperate and exchange our ideas and expertise, the Indian ambassador stated. Participating in the 16th BRICS Summit for the fir
st time last October 2024, Ethiopia called for strong intra-bloc economic cooperation across sectors and presented its unparalleled opportunities for investment as well as trade.

For instance, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, on the 16th BRICS Summit, underscored that Ethiopia is prepared to engage constructively in fostering multilateralism as the newest member of the BRICS family. As a prominent developing country, Ethiopia’s inclusion in BRICS underscores its importance in regional and global affairs, Ambassador Rai noted.

Rai expressed his country’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia in its development endeavors, emphasizing a collaborative approach to addressing the challenges faced by developing countries. So, as a major developing country, we are fully committed to support Ethiopia in all its economic endeavors bilaterally, regionally and multilaterally.

The sentiment among BRICS nations is clear that Ethiopia’s challenges are viewed as collective challenges that many member countries could navigate simila
r obstacles, he said, adding that there is a robust willingness to share knowledge and strategies to foster sustainable development. As Ethiopia embarks on this new chapter within BRICS, the potential for mutual growth and development appears promising; and the country is poised to leverage the platform to address its economic goals while contributing to broader discussions on the challenges faced by developing nations globally.

More importantly, India regards Ethiopia as a vital partner among developing nations, he stressed; noting that in the collective efforts to address the challenges faced by developing countries, Ethiopia and India have consistently engaged in meaningful discussions. Notably, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been actively involved in discussions surrounding the issues impacting the global South. His keynote address at the recent ‘Voices of Global South’ event hosted by India, highlighted Ethiopia’s role in advocating for the needs and challenges of developing nations.

Additiona
lly, the ambassador recalled Ethiopian Finance Minister Ahmed Shide’s participation as a keynote speaker at the same event further showcased Ethiopia’s commitment to addressing financial and economic challenges within the developing world. We see Ethiopia as a very important partner for developing countries. In all of our endeavors which related to addressing the issues of developing countries, we have been commonly discussing these issues and the biggest example is that when India hosted ‘Voices of Global South’ in all meetings, His Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was the keynote speaker.

And, in the last meeting, the Finance Minister Ahmed Shide was one of the keynote speakers on the financial challenges and the economic issues which are faced by the developing countries, Ambassador Rai stated.