“It is necessary to use the capabilities of parliaments, to develop cooperation to improve the well-being of our nations and to protect national interests,” said the Chairman of the State Duma.
According to Vyacheslav
Volodin
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
, Ethiopia is an important partner of Russia in Africa.
“Today, the system of international relations is going through a process of transformation, a new fair multipolar world is being formed. It is important for us to conduct a dialogue on the principles of mutual respect, mutually beneficial cooperation, non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states, and the absence of double standards,” stressed Vyacheslav Volodin. “We have always conducted such dialogue with Ethiopia, and therefore maintained relations for more than 125 years,” he added.
The Chairman of the State Duma thanked Ethiopia for supporting Russia at international organizations, including the UN.
Most African countries supported the idea of maintaining active ties with the Russian Federation, as said the Speaker of the Ethiopian Parliament.
Agegnehu Teshager stressed that Ethiopia “is grateful to the Russian side for the provided assistance”. According to him, Russia has contributed to the national education of Ethiopia by giving scholarships to students studying in Russian universities.
“Russia supports independence and national sovereignty of Ethiopia”, added Agegnehu Teshager.
“Westerners tried to impose sanctions due to the internal affairs of the country. Then Russia and its partners, but first of all Russia, supported us: they opposed such sanctions. Russia always believes that African solutions must be found to African problems,” said the Speaker of the House of Federation of Ethiopia.
Relations between Russia and Ethiopia are very strong, but they should be developed, especially in the field of trade and investment, according to Agegnehu Teshager. “We want Russia to be our main trade destination,” he added.
According to the Chairman of the State Duma, Russian companies are interested in cooperation with Ethiopian partners. “We have prospects for long-term cooperation in such fields as mining, energy, transport, construction, and agriculture,” said Vyacheslav Volodin.
The Chairman of the State Duma also thanked members of the Ethiopian Parliament for their participation in the International Parliamentary Conference “Russia-Africa”, which was held in Moscow this March.
