Moscow and BRICS state planning ‘peaceful' nuclear projects
Russia and Ethiopia have agreed to develop cooperation in the use of nuclear technologies for 'peaceful purposes,' according to a statement posted on the Russian government's Telegram channel on Wednesday.
The agreement was reached during talks between Russia's economic development minister, Maksim Reshetnikov, and his Ethiopian counterpart in charge of innovation and technology, Belete Molla, in Addis Ababa, the East African nation's capital.
The officials also discussed expanding bilateral ties in a variety of sectors, including trade, agriculture, and tourism, as well as the possibility of implementing joint projects in information and communication technologies, education, and medicine, Moscow reported.
According to the statement, a road map was signed during the meeting, outlining 'practical steps to assess the prospects for the development of nuclear energy in Ethiopia, as well as joint plans for the development of nuclear infrastructure and personnel training.'
Reshetnikov is part of a senior delegation from Russia's Federation Council, led by its chairperson Valentina Matviyenko, on a three-day official visit to Ethiopia.
On Tuesday, the team held talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, during which Matviyenko referred to Addis Ababa as 'a key partner for Russia in Africa.' She hailed the landlocked country's BRICS membership as a move that opens up new opportunities for cooperation in the UN and other international forums.
In a post on X, Abiy described the meeting as a 'valuable opportunity to discuss and explore Ethio-Russia relations.' The prime minister accepted the Federation Council speaker's invitation to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in Moscow on May 9, stating that either he or the country's president, Taye Atske Selassie, would be present.
While in Addis Ababa, Moscow's health minister, Mikhail Murashko, a member of the visiting delegation, donated modern medical equipment to the Russian Red Cross Hospital named after late Ethiopian military commander Dejazmach Balcha. The Balcha hospital, established in 1947, is the first Russian multidisciplinary healthcare facility in Africa.
Speaking to RT on Thursday, Andrey Maslov, the head of the Center for African Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, said the Russian officials' Ethiopian trip should help boost relations between the two nations.
'Matviyenko's visit and meeting of the intergovernmental commission with the participation of minister Reshetnikov is an important step in the relations between the two countries. After Ethiopia became part of the BRICS in Russia's presidency year, relations are just getting better,' he stated.
Maslov commended Ethiopia's economic achievements, particularly in agriculture, including wheat self-sufficiency and irrigation, and also in energy, the digital sector, and construction, and urged Russian businesses to 'take advantage of these opportunities.'
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