BRICS Memberships Shows Ethiopia’s Strategic Importance, Growing Influence

September 12, 2023 

As we usher in a new year, it is with great pleasure that the Embassy of Brazil in Addis Ababa extend its warm greetings and best wishes to the Ethiopian people. As we take a moment to reflect on the past year, we find many reasons to celebrate. The friendship between Brazil and Ethiopia continued to deepen, and our two nations have made significant progress in our shared pursuit of prosperity and development.

I would particularly like to celebrate the future accession of Ethiopia to the BRICS, which is going to be formalized four months from now, as recently announced in South Africa. It is a shared victory by the government and people of Ethiopia, and a testament to the strategic importance and growing influence of Ethiopia in the international community. No accession of African countries to the BRICS could fail to give due recognition to Ethiopia, one of the largest and most dynamic countries in the continent, which is why President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva gave his full support to the Ethiopian candidacy.

For many years, Brazil and Ethiopia have worked together to strengthen our partnership and promote cooperation in various fields, such as political ties, trade, investment, aviation and cooperation for development. The successes we have achieved together have laid the foundation for further cooperation and progress in the years to come. That is why we see Ethiopia’s future role in the BRICS as an opportunity to deepen our partnership further, as we explore new avenues for collaboration and mutual support. We are confident that we will continue to build on the achievements of the past.

At this important juncture in Ethiopia’s history, we would also like to commend the resilience and determination of the Ethiopian people, who have shown remarkable strength through challenging times. We recognize Ethiopia’s progress in addressing social, economic and security issues, and we stand ready to support Ethiopia in its development journey.

As we celebrate the Ethiopian New Year, let it remind us of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and of the symbolic power of fresh starts. Let it encourage us to continue to work together, to deepen our partnerships, and to build bridges of friendship and cooperation between our peoples. Together, we can work towards a shared vision of a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable future.

መልካም አዲስ ዓመት.አዲሱ አመት የሰላም፣ የስኬት እና የብልፅግና እንዲሆን እመኛለሁ።

[Happy New Year. I wish the new year to be a year of peace, success, and prosperity.]

BY JANDYR FERREIRA DOS SANTOS

THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2023