Head of United Russia Party delegation appreciates transformation of Addis Ababa, commits to strengthened cooperation

Addis Ababa, February 3, 2025 (FMC) – Andrey Klimov, the Russian Federation Senator and Bureau Member of the Supreme Council of All-Russian political party “United Russia” briefed the local media on Russian foreign policy, Russian-Ethiopian inter-party relations, and cooperation between the two countries on bilateral and international agenda. Andrey Klimov along with his delegation has recently attended the Second Congress of the Prosperity Party which held in Addis Ababa from January 31 to February 2, 2025.

During a press briefing held at the Russian Center for Science and Culture, Andrey Klimov appreciated the progress of the ongoing development in Ethiopia. “You have really fantastic changes nationally in all aspects,” he underscored.

The senator expressed admiration for the transformation of Addis Ababa, particularly in terms of infrastructure, hospitality, and service sectors. “The progress in Addis Ababa is remarkable,” he stated.

Reflecting on his attendance at the Second Congress of the Prosperity Party, Andrey Klimov highlighted a powerful message delivered by the party’s President, Abiy Ahmed (PhD), which emphasized the need for sustainable peace, development, prosperity, and solidarity among nations for a brighter future.

He underscored that the Prosperity Party is well-positioned to spearhead Ethiopia’s overall socio-economic advancement. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), the party has achieved significant successes across various sectors, the senator noted.

Acknowledging Ethiopia’s vast natural resources and youthful population, he expressed confidence that the Prosperity Party is poised to harness these advantages to create a more developed and peaceful nation. He commended President Abiy Ahmed (PhD) and his party for prioritizing education, science, research, and technology to better utilize the country’s potential for a prosperous future.

Andrey Klimov remarked that Russia and Ethiopia have maintained a close bilateral relationship that has lasted for over 126 years. He characterized this relationship as both historical and enduring, citing the renowned Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin as a symbol of connection between the two nations, referring to Ethiopia as the poet’s ancestral homeland.

Despite changes in government and politics within both countries, the historical ties between Russia and Ethiopia remain strong. Both nations have demonstrated steadfast solidarity on various global issues and are actively enhancing their bilateral and international relations on the world stage, he noted.

Klimov further emphasized the role of the Russia-Ethiopia Intergovernmental Commission and the increasing interparty cooperation in strengthening the longstanding ties between the two countries. He explained that the leaders of both nations have forged a strong mutual trust, aimed at bolstering cooperation across various levels, including interparty, government-to-government, and people-to-people connections.

Regarding foreign policy issues, Andrey Klimov, noted that Russia’s relationship with Africa is always based on equality, mutual respect and principle of non-interference in political affairs.

“This is not because we are week. We are strong. But, we use our strength to foster multifaceted cooperation with nations of the world,” he added. He added that Russia promotes peaceful coexistence among states.

Andrey Klimov emphasized that Russia controls one-third of the world’s natural resources and that Russia’s foreign policy orientation is not shaped by a colonial mentality.

He pointed out that Russia’s approach is focused on fostering equal partnerships and mutual respect, rather than exploiting resources.

He also underlined that Russia’s foreign policy is purely transactional, focusing on promoting Russian technology and forming business partnerships.

He further reiterated United Russia’s commitment to further enhance inter-party and multifaceted bilateral cooperation between Russia and Ethiopia.

By Wondesen Aregahegn