A high level delegation led by Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar arrived in Addis Ababa for a two-day visit to Ethiopia on Sunday (November 4th). They were greeted upon arrival by Prime Minister Hailemariam and that evening the Prime Minister hosted a dinner at the National Palace in honor of Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al-Thani and the members of the delegation. A number of ministers, senior government officials and Arab ambassadors accredited to Ethiopia attended.
On Monday, the delegation held discussions with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, ministers and other high ranking officials at the National Palace. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim thanked the Ethiopian government for its warm reception of the delegation and affirmed Qatar’s readiness to strengthen bilateral ties. Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said Qatar was interested to work with Ethiopia in agriculture, tourism and in other sectors. He noted that the Emir of Qatar was particularly keen to see Qatar investments in Ethiopia.
Prime Minister Hailemariam praised Qatar’s speedy decision to restore relations following talks with the late Prime Minister Meles in February on the sidelines of the London Conference on Somalia. He expressed his strong belief that the meeting and the signing of the agreements will play a pivotal role in solidifying relations. The Prime Minister briefed the Qatari delegation on various issues including the progress of the Growth and Transformation Plan. He pointed out that the investment sectors under consideration by Qatari business were sectors with specific targets under the Plan and emphasized that Qatari investments were vital to the full realization of the Plan. He stressed that Ethiopia aimed to attain middle income status by 2020. He pointed out that the country’s development over the previous eight years proved that it was on the right track, but he also underlined the importance of the substantial investment needed to attain middle income status and eradicate poverty. The government was, he pointed out, working with a sense of urgency. He added that Qatar’s impressive financial capacity and Ethiopia’s substantial human and natural resources could serve as the basis for a win –win partnership. He encouraged Qatari businesses to invest in railway development and hydro power projects and commended a package approach as the best way to finance investment projects.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of holding consultations on peace and security matters. He commended Qatar’s mediation efforts in the region, mentioning in particular its efforts to bring about peace between Eritrea and Djibouti and the negotiations between Darfur rebel forces and the Government of the Republic of Sudan as notable examples. Qatar’s Prime Minister said that Qatar’s strong stance in working to maintain peace came from its belief that peace was a necessary element for development around the world. Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim praised the development efforts of Ethiopia as “a model for the region, and he reiterated Qatar’s keenness to assist Ethiopia’s development through mutually beneficial investments.
Following speeches by the two Prime Ministers, Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance, Sofian Ahmed, briefed the delegations on other one-on-one meetings of ministers. He said the discussions on labour, agricultural investment, tourism; mining and avoidance of double taxation were fruitful. The two sides agreed on a draft Labor Agreement, to finalize negotiations as soon as possible and table it for signing shortly. They had also agreed to conclude negotiations on agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection before the end of the year, and to continue consultations between the two Finance Ministers on these issues. The Qatari delegation has expressed interest to increase the number of flights between Ethiopia and Qatar from 2 to 14 flights a week. Ethiopia agreed that the relevant aviation offices should discuss the matter and reach a conclusion before the first week of the December.
Qatar expressed interest in exploring investments in the mining, agriculture, tourism and real estate sectors. The Ethiopian side pledged to offer investment incentives and afford protection to Qatari investors in accordance with settled standards of international investment law. Both sides agreed to facilitate the import and export of agricultural and industrial products between the two countries.
The Ethiopian side invited Qatar’s private sector to engage in agricultural investment in some of Ethiopia‘s extensive unused arable lands. There were significant opportunities for investment for Qatari funds in sugar, coffee, and horticulture, as well as in meat and livestock exports. The delegation tasked the Ministry of Agriculture with the responsibility of providing all relevant information on the laws and policies of Ethiopia for agricultural investment to Qatar’s major agricultural company “Hassad Food” within the next three months
The Qatar delegation expressed interest to the building of a perishable goods hub at the Bole Airport and the establishment of modern abattoirs across the country. Members also noted a desire to introduce Qatar’s rich experience in Pakistan rice production to Ethiopia, and promised to send a technical team to look into the possibilities shortly. With regard to private sector cooperation, the Qatari Chamber of Commerce produced a draft agreement that was by and large accepted positively by its Ethiopian counterpart. The two chambers agreed to consider the issue further.
Overall, Ethiopia and Qatar signed several agreements to restore cooperation in a number of different areas. One agreement covered the Establishment of a Joint Ministerial Commission, suggested by Qatar after the meeting of the finance ministers. Another was a Memorandum of Understanding between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs to conduct regular bilateral consultations; and the two sides also signed an Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation. Before departing, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim took the opportunity to invite Prime Minister Hailemariam to visit Qatar in the near future.
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* Originally published on A Week in the Horn – Nov. 9, 2012 issue, titled “Qatar’s Prime Minister visits Ethiopia”. Items from A Week in the Horn are re-published here with a permission to do so.
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