Addis Ababa, March 1, 2024(Addis Walta) The Ethiopian delegation, led by Gebremeskel Chala, Minister of Trade and Regional Integration and Chief Negotiator for Ethiopia’s WTO accession, held discussions with Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Chair of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13).
Ambassador Mesganu Arga, the Deputy Chief Negotiator and State Minister for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Eyob Tekalegn, State Minister for the Ministry of Finance and a member of the national steering committee for Ethiopia’s WTO accession, and Ambassador Oumar Hussein, Ethiopia’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, participated in the bilateral meeting.
The Ethiopian delegation briefed the UAE side on its WTO accession negotiations and the progress made so far, and it also requested the UAE’s support in Ethiopia’s efforts to conclude the negotiations.
Furthermore, the Ethiopian delegation met and discussed with the Minister for London and the State Minister for Trade Policy of the UK, Mr. Gregory William Hands, and Ethiopia’s WTO accession Working Party Chair and Deputy Ambassador of the UK to Geneva, Ambassador Rebecca Fisher Lamb.
The UK’s delegation expressed a strong commitment to continue supporting Ethiopia’s WTO accession process. Ambassador Rebecca Fisher Lamb reiterated her strong conviction and hopes that Ethiopia will conclude its accession process and join the WTO during her chairmanship period.
Both the UK and the UAE appreciated Ethiopia’s renewed efforts and progress made towards becoming a member of the WTO. Given Ethiopia’s significant market size and economy, joining the WTO is mutually beneficial for both Ethiopia and the other member countries.