Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and her Ethiopian counterpart Misganu Arega inaugurated the Embassy of Ethiopia in Islamabad on May 11.
At the launch, Hina Rabbani Khar said the inauguration of the embassy is a significant milestone in the journey of Pakistan-Ethiopia relations.
“Our economic and developmental challenges are similar but also there is a commonality in the resilience of our people to achieve these goals,” she said, adding that Pakistan has always supported Africa throughout history.
In his remarks, Ethiopian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Misganu Arega extended his gratitude to the government and people of Pakistan for the warm welcome in Islamabad.
He said Ethiopia and Pakistan enjoy cordial relations since 1958. He said it is Ethiopia’s firm conviction that the opening of its embassy in Islamabad marks a new history in diplomatic, political, economic and social cooperation between the two countries.
Direct flights between Pakistan and Ethiopia
The opening of the Ethiopian embassy in Islamabad is the second major initiative between the countries after the launch of regular flights this week.
Ethiopian Airlines resumed direct flights to Pakistan after a gap of almost two decades when the first flight with 110 passengers onboard landed at the Jinnah International Airport on May 9 morning.
Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines, has commenced four times weekly direct flights to Karachi from Addis Ababa.
The direct flights would promote trade and tourism between Ethiopia and Pakistan. “The launch of Ethiopian Airlines flights from Karachi to Addis Ababa was long in the making. It will open the gates for Pakistanis into Africa and Europe,” said Jemal Beker Abdula, the Ethiopian ambassador to Pakistan.
