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On his arrival at Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour at the National Palace, on Tuesday the 16th of December 2025.

Modi held wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali on all aspects of India-Ethiopia bilateral ties.

This is Modi’s first visit to Ethiopia, where he will also address a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament on Wednesday.

The Indian Prime Minister is on a three national tour to the Middle East and Africa where his first stop was at Jordan before reaching Ethiopia.

On Wednesday. Modi will reach Oman.

At Addis Ababa airport, in a special gesture, he was warmly received by Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali. Mr Modi also took part in a traditional Coffee Ceremony with his Ethiopian counterpart.

Later in the day while holding bilateral talks between the two leaders India decided to elevate its ties with Ethiopia to a strategic partnership level.

We are elevating India and Ethiopia relations to a strategic partnership. This step will provide new energy, new momentum and new depth to our ties,” Prime Minister Modi said during the delegation-level talks.

He thanked PM Ali for his support in India’s fight against terrorism. “The support of friendly countries in this struggle against terrorism holds great significance,” Modi said.

“Today, we got the opportunity to deliberate on the key aspects of our cooperation, such as economy, innovation, technology, defence, health, capacity-building and multilateral cooperation. I am pleased that today, we have decided to double the student scholarship for Ethiopia in India,” Modi said.

Modi said that India and Ethiopia have shared contact, dialogue, and exchange for thousands of years. The two countries, which are rich in languages and traditions, are symbols of unity in diversity, he added.

“Both countries are democratic powers committed to peace and the welfare of humanity. We are co-travellers and partners of the Global South. On international platforms, we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder,” he said.

The two sides signed eight MoUs/agreements, including upgrading ties to ‘Strategic Partnership’, customs cooperation, establishing data center at the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, UN Peacekeeping training cooperation, debt restructuring under G20, more ICCR scholarships and AI short courses for Ethiopians, and support for maternal and neonatal healthcare.

Modi said the African Union’s headquarters in Ethiopia makes the country a meeting point of African diplomacy. “Inspired by the common vision of an inclusive world, in 2023, India ensured that the African Union became a G20 member,” he said.

In 2023, during India’s G20 Presidency, the African Union was admitted as a permanent member of the G20.

Modi said that though this is his first visit, he felt a deep sense of belonging and warmth, reflecting the thousands of years of connection between the two countries.

On his part, Prime Minister Ali said the two countries share over thousands of years of connection through trade, diplomacy, education, culture and even in our food and traditions. “These ties continue to shape a deep friendship, collaboration and mutual respect between our people,” he said.

“We also appreciate your consistent message that Africa’s priorities must lead the partnership. These kinds of dignified, respectful messages for Africa are very important. Mr Prime Minister, keep pushing. That is the type of message we are expecting from all our trusted friends,” Ali said.

He said this aligned fully with Ethiopia’s development plan – African-owned, African-led, and African-defined.

“Today, we meet with a clear focus to shape a modern partnership, grounded in sovereignty, self-reliance and practical cooperation. Our cooperation is rooted in equality and South-South solidarity,” he said.

“Our economy is performing strongly. Last year, we grew 9.2% and this year we are expecting 10.3% GDP growth. Besides GDP growth, our FDI inflow is also rising big time. India is the leading source for our FDI,” he said.

“We have more than 615 Indian companies which are investing in Ethiopia. This all gives our cooperation a strong foundation of trust. I think our decision today.