Earlier in his welcome remarks, Mr. Vijay Kalantri, President, All India Association of Industries pointed out, “India-Ethiopia relations date back to 2000 years and we both have shared values and traditions. There are more than 600 Indian companies that created at least 75000 jobs in Ethiopia. However, there is still untapped trade and investment potential. Bilateral trade today stands at hardly USD 900 million and we should aim to double this to at least USD 2 billion in three years. We need to promote greater partnership among MSMEs from both sides. Ethiopia has fertile land and there is a lot of scope for agriculture. One area of focus can be cotton exports from India, where there is untapped potential.”

Mr. Kalantri added, “AIAI will collaborate with the Ethiopian embassy to explore new vistas of bilateral cooperation. In the past, AIAI has hosted interactive meetings with former ambassadors, senior ministers and consuls general of Ethiopia. We shall work with the consul general of Ethiopia in Mumbai to take the relationship forward.” Mr. Kalantri invited the Ambassador to visit AIAI for an interactive meeting to promote bilateral trade once the pandemic situation normalizes.