On the margins of the 24th Regular Meeting of the Executive Council, Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom held discussions with New Zealand Foreitgn Minister, Murray Macculy today (January 27) at the African Union conference board rooms. Dr. Tedros commended New Zealand's enhancement of cooperation with Africa, recalling the fruitful meeting the two ministers had in Addis Ababa last year, and expressed his hope that bilateral relations would be further strengthened. The Ministers signed a Cooperation Arrangement on Promoting Government to Government Partnership in Food Security. This aims to encourage the development of a long term partnership in agriculture and food security. Dr. Tedros said "the signing of the Agreement will help us to take our bilateral relationship a step forward", adding that as "agriculture is at the center of our rural development of which food security is key area of our development endeavors, this cooperation will have an important role." Mr. Macculy said the Agreement will lay the framework for cooperation between the two countries in the area of food security, adding that New Zealand was committed to give life to the partnership through full implementation of the Agreement. He said New Zealand's interest in supporting Ethiopia's food security "works".