Ethiopia and Sudan’s sign cooperation agreement on trade
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
April 14, 2011 (MEKELLE) – Business communities from Ethiopia’s Tigray region and Kassala state in Eastern Sudan on Thursday inked a cooperative frame work agreement on trade and on ways the two sides could join to strengthen development activities.
The agreement was signed between Mekelle town chamber of commerce deputy president Ataklti Seyoum and head of the general union of Sudanese business community to Kassala branch, Ali Farah Ali.
At the occasion Seyoum said the countries are working to bolster their relations and the latest agreements are part of this.He said this will further enhance and consolidate the existing excellent relations between Sudan and Ethiopia. Ali said that the latest agreement is an important step in strengthening the historic ties
Taking part in the month-long mobile exhibition and bazaar which ended on Thursday were 31 Sudanese firms and business people.
Speaking to Sudan Tribune, Ali said Gedaref chamber of commerce has plans to invite Ethiopian business community to a bazaar in Sudan.
According to Teshale Fissahatsion, secretary of Mekelle chamber of commerce, the Sudanese business communities are again invited to take part in an exhibition and bazaar to be held in Tigray region when nation marks 28 May, day the Derg, the former Marxist regime, collapsed.
Mustof el-Seyed is head of chamber of commerce to Gedaref. He said the bazaar was a success. “We want borders to have bridges across it and we have to build them across our common border” El-Seywd told Sudan Tribune.
El-Seyed, a member of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Northern Sector, stressed that the chambers must not be confined to trade ties alone.
“We must also make investment in other different sectors” he said adding, “ we must turn the bad account to good by jointly working to the best in the common interest of the peoples on both sides”.
This is the first time for Kassala state’s business community to take part in Ethiopia’s bazaar.
Since the two neighbours established a monitoring task force assigned to solve problems along the border, incidents have become rare.
(ST)