Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], December 16 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in a traditional Coffee Ceremony with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali at Addis Ababa airport on Tuesday in a gesture of warm friendship between the two countries.
PM Modi, who arrived in the African country on a two-day visit, said that the ceremony highlights Ethiopia's rich heritage.
"At Addis Ababa airport, took part in a traditional Coffee Ceremony with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. The ceremony beautifully highlights Ethiopia's rich heritage," PM Modi said in a post on X.
PM Modi and his Ethiopian counterpart also held an informal interaction.
In a unique gesture, the Ethiopian Prime Minister received PM Modi at the Addis Ababa airport and drove him to the hotel.
On the way, the Ethiopian PM took a special initiative of taking PM Modi to the Science Museum and Friendship Park, which was not in the itinerary. The gestures by the Nobel-prize Prize-winning Ethiopian leader reflected his deep respect for PM Modi.
PM Modi arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday in the second leg of his three-nation visit.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PM Modi was accorded a warm and colourful welcome.
"Celebrating age-old India-Ethiopia ties! Prime Minister @narendramodi arrives in Addis Ababa on his maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia. In a special gesture, PM @AbiyAhmedAli came personally to receive him at the airport. Prime Minister was accorded a warm and colourful welcome. Ethiopia is a key partner for India in the Global South and a fellow BRICS Member," he said in a post on X.
This is PM Modi's first visit to Ethiopia and reflects India's commitment towards deepening South-South cooperation and strengthening of partnership with Africa.
The visit will also help consolidate cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, including economy, trade, culture, and people-to-people contacts.
The discussions are also expected to focus on diversifying trade, enhancing connectivity, and identifying new opportunities for investment in infrastructure, IT, mining, agriculture and manufacturing.
India and Ethiopia have a long history of partnership in education, skilling, and capacity building. India has been offering scholarships and training opportunities to Ethiopian students and professionals through ITEC and ICCR scholarships.
PM Modi arrived in Ethiopia from Jordan, where he held a one-on-one meeting with King Abdullah II at the Husseiniya Palace ahead of delegation-level talks.
Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II drove PM Modi to the The Jordan Museum in Amman, marking another symbolic moment of personal diplomacy.
PM Modi will visit Oman in the third leg of his visit.
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