Paulos Netabay

President Isaias Afwerki received, at the Denden Guest House this evening, Ambassador Dr. Emmaneul Bulukani, who delivered a message to him from his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa. In the meeting, President Isaias underlined the imperative for Africa to embark on expansive ventures of value-addition for processing its vast natural resources which will, in turn, enable the Continent to assume its rightful place in the global order as well as enhance and accelerate mutual partnerships and cooperation between all the African countries. In a press statement to the Eritrean News Agency, Ambassador Bulukani expressed Zimbabawe's readiness to cultivate and work out concrete programmes of bilateral cooperation with Eritrea and further consolidate coordination and alignment of their respective positions at multilateral forums such as the AU and the UN.

President Isaias Afwerki received, at the Denden Guest House in the early evening hours today, credentials of the Ambassadors of Japan and India (both Resident); and, the Ambassadors of Brazil, Slovakia, Canada, Thailand and Armenia (Non-Resident) respectively. The Ambassadors conveyed messages of goodwill from their Heads of State and Government to President Isaias Afwerki and expressed the readiness of their countries to enhance all-rounded ties of bilateral cooperation. In statements to the Eritrean News Agency, the Ambassadors of India and Canada emphasized the commitment of their respective countries to promote and consolidate development cooperation and partnership with Eritrea in various sectors.

Eritrea's senior delegation met today Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, the Minister of Transport; Mr. Mahmoud Esmat, the Minister of Electricity and Renewal Energy; Mr. Alaa Farouk, the Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation; as well as officials of the Egyptian Drug Authority and CEO's of other companies and institutions. Themes discussed in these meetings include: opportunities and prospects of effective cooperation between the two countries in transport, and especially sea transport; exchange of best practices and collaboration on renewable energy; cooperation on food-processing; and, overall enhancement of trade in several areas.

Eritrea's senior delegation composed of Mr. Hagos Gebrehiwet, Head of Economic Affairs, and Mr. Nesredin Saleh, the Minister of Trade and Industry, met yesterday evening in Cairo, Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Badr Abdelatty and Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, for extensive discussions on enhancement of bilateral economic ties. The Eritrean delegation is scheduled to meet with several Ministers and business enterprises during its three-day official visit.

President Isaias Afwerki met, at the Denden Guest House in the late afternoon hours today, Ambassador Hu Changchun, China's Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa. President Isaias Afwerki re-iterated Eritrea's readiness to consolidate its constructive engagement with the People's Republic of China, stressing the imperative for a more prominent role of China in various global and regional matters in these tumultuous times of heightened turmoil and instability. President Isaias further alluded to Africa's immense natural and human endowments and underlined the invaluable role that China is expected to play in the development and enhancement of these resources. Ambassador Hu Changchun, for his part, expressed China's readiness to work with Eritrea to deepen the existing bilateral strategic partnership for mutual benefit as well as leverage synergetic development strategies for the joint promotion of peace and stability across the Horn of Africa.