Foreign Minister, Dr. Tedros, met with UK officials yesterday (January 10th) on his first working visit as Foreign Minister to the United Kingdom.

The Minister met with Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, William Hague; the Secretary of State for International Development (DFID), Justine Greening and the Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds and other Foreign and Commonwealth officials for discussions on both bilateral and regional issues. Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the expanding partnership between the two countries.

Minister Tedros made clear his appreciation of the quality of the UK support for Ethiopia's capacity building programme which attaches key attention to the priority areas set by Ethiopia so that the country fully retains ownership of the process.

The UK, for its part, expressed its appreciation at the effective way that Ethiopia uses financial support and the proficiency of its various development programs. The two countries' representatives also discussed issues of mutual interest including, inter alia, the peace and security of the sub-region, the situation in Somalia, Eritrea and the peace process between Sudan and South Sudan.

Later in the day the Foreign Minister met with representatives of the business community and led a round-table discussion with over 30 UK companies which already invest in Ethiopia or which are keen to take advantage of the many opportunities available in the country.

The Minister gave a detailed briefing on the policy and regulatory framework for expanding businesses and investment in Ethiopia. He also participated in an interactive session where participants raised questions and gave comments on a wide range of issues. The Minister assured participants that his office would be fully committed to engage with them in the future to help fulfill investment activities.