Taye Atske Selassie praises departing ambassadors from Finland, Norway, and India as Addis Ababa prepares to host COP32 and expand BRICS cooperation.
Addis Ababa, (AMECO) — President Taye Atske Selassie has hosted farewell audiences for the outgoing ambassadors of Finland, Norway, and India, commending their contributions to broadening Ethiopia’s diplomatic footprint, economic cooperation, and multilateral engagement.
During separate audiences at the National Palace in Addis Ababa, Taye expressed confidence that bilateral partnerships would continue to widen across trade, technology, climate action, and institutional reform.
The diplomatic engagements reflect Addis Ababa’s position as the continent’s diplomatic hub, with departing envoys pointing to key structural shifts in the country’s economic policy and environmental governance during their respective tenures.
Norway’s outgoing ambassador, Stian Christensen, reflecting on his four-year assignment, highlighted the growing alignment on environmental policy ahead of Ethiopia hosting the UN COP32 climate summit in 2027. Christensen affirmed Oslo’s continued commitment to supporting the Green Legacy Initiative, forest conservation, and sustainable rural livelihoods.
Addressing commercial and technical collaboration, Finland’s departing ambassador, Sinikka Antila, pointed to decades-long cooperation in education, rural water management, and digital land administration. Antila noted that Ethiopia’s economic modernization drive is creating expanded scope for international tech partnerships, citing existing operations by Finnish firms such as Nokia and Vaisala.
“We want to see stronger business partnerships, increased investments, greater innovation, startup collaboration and expanded technology cooperation,” Antila said, describing her three-year assignment in Africa’s diplomatic capital as deeply rewarding.
India’s outgoing envoy, Anil Kumar Rai, highlighted the implementation of bilateral agreements reached during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ethiopia. Rai stated that Ethiopia’s membership in the BRICS bloc has injected fresh momentum into global governance alignment between New Delhi and Addis Ababa, paving the way for expanded commercial investment.
President Taye commended the three diplomats for their public service and wished them success in their subsequent postings, emphasizing Ethiopia’s commitment to strengthening ties across Europe and Asia.
