Ethiopia, UAE keen to propel bilateral relations

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday underscored the need to further strengthen socio-economic relations, with due emphasis given to finance, investment and employment sectors.

The two countries made the commitment as part of the visit of Ethiopia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Workneh Gebeyehu, to UAE.

The United Arab Emirates has pledged to support Ethiopia's economic growth during the meeting between Gebeyehu and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to a statement issued by Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ethiopia and UAE further hailed the success of bilateral cooperation in the area of finance and emphasized the need to scale up collective endeavors so as to realize pledges into a realistic time table, it was noted.

Cooperation in the financial sector is the latest commitment made by the two countries as part of Gebeyehu's visit to the Middle East country.

The two countries have also announced the agreement to expedite the signing of overseas labor agreement and the need to fast-track the signing of labor agreement that was being discussed for over two years.

According to Gebeyehu, the signing of the agreement "will create a viable legal framework for protection and safety of workers."

UAE is one of the major Middle Eastern destinations of Ethiopian migrants in search for jobs.

Gebeyehu, during his stay in UAE, has also met with the Ethiopian community in UAE and briefed private sector representatives concerning investment and business opportunities in the east African country. Enditem