The State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Berhane Gebrechristos on Wednesday (March 6th) met a group of UK MPs, members of the UK Parliament's Select Committee for International Development at his offices.

The chairman of the Select Committee, Sir Malcolm Bruce, opened their discussion by congratulating the Government of Ethiopia on the success of various development initiatives around the country in health, education and food security. He paid special attention to what he called the remarkable progress being made in rural communities against early marriage and also noted the improvements in food security as a result of the Government's villagization programmes.

Ambassador Berhane emphasized the importance of the strategic relationship between the two countries and stressed that Ethiopia was committed to further strengthening cooperation and partnership. The Ambassador discussed a variety of issues with the Committee members including democratization, development and the role of civil society.