Addis Ababa hosted the 1st session of political consultations between Morocco and Ethiopia on Monday, May 20. The meeting was co-chaired by Morocco's Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Fouad Yazough, and Ethiopia's State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mesganu Arga. Discussions focused on «ways to further strengthen cooperation relations». Both parties emphasized «the need to review and reinforce the existing cooperation agreements in the domains of trade, investment, finance, air service, and education», Ethiopian diplomacy wrote on X. Morocco and Ethiopia agreed to hold a joint ministerial commission soon. This meeting follows talks held on the sidelines of the last African Union summit in Addis Ababa on February 18, between Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Ethiopian counterpart, Taye Atske Selassie. In May 2015, Ethiopia initiated a diplomatic opening towards Morocco with visits to Rabat by its Foreign Affairs and Finance Ministers. King Mohammed VI visited Ethiopia in January 2017, shortly before Morocco's return to the African Union. In September 2021, the Ethiopian government and OCP sealed a $2.4 billion agreement for the construction of a fertilizer plant, discussions for which began in 2016. Similar to its rapprochement with Nigeria, Rwanda, or Angola, Morocco's relationship with Ethiopia is developing gradually, without being hindered by Addis Ababa's recognition of the «SADR».
