Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and U.S. State Department Senior Advisor for Africa Massad Boulos met to discuss "the African nation's role in promoting peace and regional stability." Boulos announced the talks in a social media post.
During the negotiations in Addis Ababa, the parties reviewed Ethiopia's engagement with neighboring states and explored prospects for enhanced economic cooperation between the African country and the United States.
"We also discussed a range of commercial opportunities that promote mutual prosperity for the United States and Ethiopia," Boulos noted.
Earlier in September, Prime Minister Abiy had again raised the issue of Ethiopia's need for direct access to the Red Sea, stating that "a mistake made 30 years ago will be corrected."
Since Eritrea's declaration of independence in 1993, Ethiopia lost access to its ports, including the strategic port of Assab, and has since remained almost entirely dependent on Djibouti for its foreign trade.
Maria Safonova
