Part 1: Ethiopia and Egypt have longstanding relations that date back to thousands of years. According to some sources, religion plays a crucial role in bringing the two countries closer as the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Coptic Orthodox Church was under one umbrella until 1959. Ethiopian Muslims are also closely associated to Al-Azhar in Cairo, where they have their own column to study under, named Al-Jabarta Column, under which numerous scholars studied. Central to any relationship however has been the River Nile which has been the strong bond tying the two countries and their peoples together for millennia. To get views on the aforementioned issues The Ethiopian Herald held an exclusive interview with His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark on the occasion of his five days visit to Ethiopia. Hereunder follows the first part of the interview.
Your Holiness, thank you for your time! What was the major purpose of your visit?
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