Ethiopian President Wirtu to visit Turkey next week

By Ilhan Toprak

ANKARA

Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu will pay a five-day official visit to Turkey starting on Monday, the Presidential Press Center said.

According to the statement, on Tuesday Wirtu will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During his visit, the talks will focus on bilateral relations and regional and international issues as well as the signing of various agreements between the two countries, the statement added.

Wirtu will also attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Ankara embassy of the East African country, which has a population of some 100 million.

In 2005, as prime minister, Erdogan declared 2005 the Year of Africa, Turkey was accorded observer status by the African Union, and Turkey’s official outreach to Africa gained new momentum.