Expert explained why Belarus seeks to develop relations with Ethiopia

During his official visit to Ethiopia, Belarus’ Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov met with his counterpart to agree on stepping up work over a roadmap for co-operation. The document is planned to be signed at the level of the leaders of the two countries, and it will become another step towards the development of economic co-operation, trade and economic relations. In his talk with Alfa Radio, Aleksei Avdonin, an expert at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, commented on the interaction between the two countries.

According to the expert, Belarus’ Foreign Ministry monitors the situation in the world and assesses the pace of economic growth. “We actively co-operate with the countries that demonstrate high rates of economic growth, because our products and services will naturally be in demand there and our enterprises will be able to generate profit as a result. We see that Ethiopia is showing a fairly high rate of economic growth. Of course, it is important for us to supply goods there, earn money, expand our presence and recognition. Clearly, not a short period of co-operation is expected: we are making long-term strategic plans.”

The Minister of Mines and Petroleum of Ethiopia, Habtamu Tegegne, addressed the Belarusian side with a request for assistance in the development of mineral deposits available in Ethiopia, and Mr. Avdonin commented, “Actually, Belarus boasts the necessary competencies, technologies, and knowledge in the field of natural resource extraction in any region of our planet. It is clear that countries like Ethiopia have options: either to interact with Western corporations that will definitely cheat and act purely for their own profit, or to interact with Belarusian companies that always adhere to the key principle of fairness and mutual development. Therefore, our approaches are based not only on knowledge, but also on our well-thought-of ideology.”