Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Taye Atske Selassie on the sidelines of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting, Nizhny Novgorod, June 10, 2024

It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Congratulations on your appointment as Foreign Minister.

We hold our bilateral relations with Ethiopia in high regard.

We recall several past meetings between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Their first meeting was at the first Russia-Africa Summit in 2019, followed by a second visit by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in July 2023.

We anticipate his participation in the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan. Today, we have begun preparations for the summit at the ministerial level, which will help us chart our path forward. I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss our bilateral relations with you on the sidelines of this ministerial meeting.