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President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his warm congratulations to Mr Abiy Ahmed on being chosen to lead Ethiopia's Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) ruling coalition on 28 March 2018, and his subsequent swearing-in as Prime Minister on Monday, 02 April 2018.

President Ramaphosa said: “Your election is a vote of confidence in your leadership by the various parties of the ruling coalition and holds the hope that a stable leadership transition and the widening of political dialogue can open the way to peaceful development in the country.”

Ethiopia plays a leading role on the African continent, not only as the seat of the African Union, but as a historic beacon of the values of freedom and sovereignty as embodied in the life of late Nelson Mandela, whose centenary we celebrate this year.

The interests of the countries and people of Africa remain at the top of South Africa’s strategic priorities, as evidenced by the commitment to forging closer cooperation with Ethiopia displayed by discussions during the recent South Africa-Ethiopia Senior Officials Meeting in March 2018.

“I look forward to working with you, Mr Prime Minister, to further strengthen the strong bilateral relations between our two countries, focusing on economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of our respective countries and peoples,” President Ramaphosa concluded.

Issued by Department of International Relations and Cooperation