KARACHI: Ethiopian Airlines will start direct flights between Karachi and Addis Ababa.
According to Ethiopian Ambassador in Pakistan, Jamal Bakir Abdullah, Ethiopian Airlines will operate four flights in a week between Karachi and Addis Ababa so as to strengthen economic relations between Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Abdullah said that the direct flights to Pakistan will promote tourism and trade besides strengthening the bilateral relations between both the nations. He said that the Ethiopian foreign minister along with a 10-member delegation is set to arrive in Karachi on Tuesday (today) via the first flight of the Ethiopian Airlines.
The ambassador further said that Ethiopia is a major market which attracts trade from Pakistani firms in diverse sectors including pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments and others. He was thankful to the Pakistani government for playing a key role in restoring the air links.
Misganu Arega, Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs will undertake a three days visit to Pakistan from May 9-11. During the visit, the Ethiopian foreign minister would open an Embassy of Ethiopia in Pakistan’s federal capital, Islamabad and inaugurate direct flights between Karachi and Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Airlines.
The Ethiopian MoS for Foreign Affairs and Pakistani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, are set to inaugurate the opening of the Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and the Ethiopian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs will inaugurate the direct flight operations by the Ethiopian Airlines in Karachi. The Ethiopian delegation comprises Ministers of State for Science & Innovation, Trade & Regional Integration and several members of the Ethiopian business community.
During the visit, the two sides will discuss a bilateral issues of mutual interest, with a focus on cooperation in science and technology besides trade. According to the observers, the visit of the Ethiopian delegation is likely to provide fresh impetus to the friendly relations between the two countries Ethiopia and Pakistan.
