Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the present state of Anglo–Ethiopian relations.

The UK has a strong bilateral partnership with Ethiopia, a key ally in the Horn of Africa. We will continue to invest in growing an equitable relationship, built on shared values, and with the shared aim of creating jobs and increasing prosperity, including by increasing the number of staff at the British Embassy in Addis Ababa.

Government Ministers regularly meet with their Ethiopian counterparts to discuss cooperation across a range of issues. The Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for International Development both visited Addis Ababa in August; the latter met with Prime Minister Abiy and discussed, inter-alia, the importance of inclusiveness and establishing accountability as part of his reform agenda. The Minister of State for Africa visited at the beginning of October, participating in constructive Aid Talks, which, while covering the breadth of issues identified in the 2018 Partnership Principles Assessment, focused on the economy. The Minister for Africa also, on 16 October, opened the UK-Ethiopia Trade and Investment Forum here in London, recognising the 80% growth in total trade in goods and services between the UK and Ethiopia in 2017 as a clear signal of our evolving, modern partnership.