Official Welcoming Ceremony, Business Forum And Bilateral Meet For Anwar On Second Day In Addis Ababa

From M. Saraswathi

ADDIS ABABA, Nov 19 (Bernama) — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to start the second day of his official visit here with a guided tour of Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, a major cultural landmark that was built to commemorate Ethiopia’s historic victory at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.

The museum stands as a symbol of African freedom and black empowerment, attracting a growing number of visitors and hosting numerous national events. It celebrates not just a military triumph but a story of diplomacy, courage, unity and national pride.

This will be followed by a courtesy call on President of Ethiopia Taye Atske Selassie at Addis International Convention Centre, after which Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, will participate in the Malaysia-Ethiopia High Level Business Forum.

Later in the evening, there will be an official welcoming ceremony at the National Palace where the Prime Minister will inspect a guard-of-honour and the “Tree of Friendship” planting ceremony is scheduled to take place. 

Anwar will also have a guided tour of the National Palace showcasing Ethiopian history and culture as well as a four-eye meeting with Prime Minister of Ethiopia Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali.

Both leaders will witness exchange of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in health, an air services agreement and an MoU on cooperation in tourism.

Others include a collaboration document between the Kuala Lumpur City Council and Addis Ababa City Administration, which will formalise the mechanism for maintaining strategic dialogue, setting the stage for long-term cooperation between the two nations.

Anwar and Abiy Ahmed will also have a joint press conference.

The day will end with an official dinner hosted by Abiy Ahmed.

This is Anwar’s maiden visit to Ethiopia as Malaysia is set to intensify engagement with the African continent through the headquarters of the African Union in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

The 55-member African Union, which was set up in July 2002, is the representative voice for Africa on the global stage, and among its functions is to encourage international cooperation.

Anwar’s three-day visit to the “Horn of Africa” started on Nov 18 – the first for a Malaysian Prime Minister  and reciprocate Abiy Ahmed’s visit to Malaysia in October last year.

The visit also celebrates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, established in January 1965.

Anwar is accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Zaliha Mustafa, Malaysian government officials as well as a business delegation.

Ethiopia, the most populous landlocked country in the world, ranked as Malaysia's 26th largest trading partner in the African continent in 2023, is Anwar’s  first stop in his visit to the African continent.

From Addis Ababa, the Prime Minister will proceed with a working visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, from Nov 20 to 23 to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit and Nairobi, Kenya from Nov 23 to 24, before heading home. 

Malaysia is five hours ahead of Ethiopia.

— BERNAMA