Modi addresses Parliament, highlights historical bonds
India Ethiopia strategic partnership- During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Ethiopia for a bilateral meeting with the Ethiopian parliament, he described his view of India and Ethiopia as “natural allies in the pursuit of peace and security”. He received warm welcomes from most members of parliament and they frequently applauded him throughout his speech. At the beginning of his speech, he addressed the members in their local language, which prompted them to respond positively.
He then spoke about Gujarat’s lioness to highlight cultural similarities between India and Ethiopia. He acknowledged the ancient history of Ethiopia and their modern aspirations. He encouraged parliamentarians to support greater economic development in both countries. After finishing his speech, he received a standing ovation from the members of parliament.
Strategic partnership and Global South emphasis
Modi pointed out that Ethiopia’s location is very important to Africa. According to him, India is at the centre of the Indian Ocean. He also emphasised the importance of the two countries working together in areas such as defence, cyber security, research, and capacity building. Modi referred to the Defence Cooperation Agreement which was signed earlier this year between Ethiopia and India. He thanked Ethiopia for their support following the Pahalgam Terrorism Attack.
Modi reiterated that India and Ethiopia both have a zero tolerance for terrorism and that both countries are working together to promote a fairer and more equitable world order. Modi views the Global South as how it decides its fate cooperatively in a collaborative approach. He suggested creating a Global Development Compact which would focus on technology, finance and trade as its top priorities.
Economic cooperation, democracy, and people-to-people ties
Indian Prime Minister Modi stated that Indian enterprises are estimated to have invested approximately $5 billion into Ethiopia which has helped to create over 75,000 jobs for Ethiopian people. Prime Minister Modi expressed that agriculture is very important to both India and Ethiopia and therefore proposed to India and Ethiopia working together on seed production, irrigation technologies, and technologies related to soil. Prime Minister Modi also discussed India’s digital public infrastructure development achievements and offered to share with Ethiopia India’s technological knowledge. During the discussion, Prime Minister Modi mentioned India’s assistance in supplying vaccines to Ethiopia during the COVID pandemic.
Prime Minister Modi also indicated the constitutional similarities and democratic evolution of India and Ethiopia, and announced that India and Ethiopia would upgrade their bilateral relationship to the strategic partnership level. Prime Minister Modi received Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour with great humility. He also planted a tree in accordance with India and Ethiopia’s commitment to common green initiatives. Prime Minister Modi previously visited the Adwa Victory Monument and had placed a wreath there.
FOR MORE UPDATES-https://civiclens.in/category/national-news-civiclens-in/
About the Author
