India-Ethiopia relations are model for cooperation: Official

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) The relations between India and Ethiopia are a model for cooperation between countries, a senior Ethiopian official has said.

Newai Gebre-ab, economic adviser to the prime minister of Ethiopia, called on Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur Tuesday and 'mentioned that Ethiopia-India cooperation is a model of cooperation for other partners', a foreign ministry statement said Wednesday.

The official met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia Wednesday and 'commended the efforts of the ministry of external affairs in encouraging Indian investors to invest in Ethiopia'.

Relations between India and Ethiopia have been gathering steam, with 10 high-level exchanges in the last four months alone. In January 2011, Kaur had attend the African Union Summit at Addis Ababa.

India is the leading private sector investor in Ethiopia with investments of $4.35 billion.
'The next India Africa Forum Summit is slated for May 2011 at the seat of African Union in Addis Ababa.

This is the first time that this summit is being held in Africa and Ethiopia is extending its full support for the success of the India-Africa Forum Summit II,' said the press release.