Ethiopia, Sudan joint economic and trade committee meeting held

June 12, 2009 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Ethio-Sudan joint economic and trade committee on Thursday held its first meeting, setting a draft agenda to the Ethiopia-Sudan joint meeting at ministerial level, which will kick-off Saturday.

The joint committee, which is established as part of the ongoing efforts to boost trade and economic ties of the neighbors has discussed on ways that strengthen legal trade in free trade zone and border trade agreements.

Ahmed Tusa, undersecretary of Ethiopia’s ministry of trade and industry on the occasion said that the two neighbor countries are more than ever showing commitment to boost existing bilateral ties to much higher level.

Based on passed various development agreements the two countries signed, a number of infrastructures are well under way.

The joint ministerial meeting is expected to discuss on ways to finalize the Ethiopia- Sudan linking road construction, which Ahmed said is well in progress.

Sudanese under secretary for ministry of foreign trade Najat Hassan Mohamed Salih to her part said that peoples of both countries are enjoying from the outcomes of the multilateral cooperation the two countries are executing on various sectors.

She underscored that the excellent relation between the two countries is exemplary to other African countries.

Currently, Ethiopia and Sudan are carrying out a number joint projects, telecommunication, road, electricity being among others.

In April, Sudanese president Omer Al-Bashir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi co-chaired last Ethiopia- Sudan second High – level joint commission meeting where the two countries signed a series of accords on joint economic and cultural cooperation.

Recently, Eastern Sudan’s state of Gadarif and Ethiopian region of Tigray agreed to boost regional cooperation on areas of trade culture, controlling communicable human and animal dieses and environmental protection.

In recent years trade volume of the two neighbors has grown to a higher level.

Sudan is one of the top importers of Ethiopian products. The biggest neighbor also meets Ethiopia’s 70% of petroleum demand

Evaluating existing economic and trade ties, ways of improving bank and customer’s system and designing new joint projects are expected to be high on Agenda in the joint meeting.

(ST)