Ethiopia, Azerbaijan Deepen Ties As PM Abiy Arrives in Baku On Official Visit

26 February 2026
Addis Standard (Addis Ababa)

Addis Abeba — Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed arrived in Azerbaijan late Wednesday for an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

"The Prime Minister, along with the First Lady and a high-level delegation, arrived late today at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku. This visit is expected to take bilateral relations to a more active and meaningful level," said the office of the Prime Minister.

He was received at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, where a guard of honor was lined up.

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Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Samir Sharifov and Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev were among the senior officials who welcomed the Ethiopian leader, according to local media.

The visit follows an official invitation extended in January by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The invitation was conveyed during a meeting between Prime Minister Abiy and Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, who delivered greetings from the president. Prime Minister Abiy accepted the invitation, expressing his "highest regard" for President Ilham Aliyev, according to Azerbaijani state media.

Officials said the talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation across political, economic, and sectoral areas. Previous discussions between the two sides have included experience-sharing on climate diplomacy, following Azerbaijan's hosting of the COP29 climate conference in November 2024, and Ethiopia's preparations to host COP32 in 2027.

The visit also comes amid a new defense engagement between the two countries.

In November 2025, Addis Standard reported that senior Azerbaijani defense officials visited Addis Abeba to discuss military cooperation. Following bilateral talks, Ethiopia and Azerbaijan agreed to expand "military-industrial cooperation," according to Ethiopia's Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed Mussa. Discussions focused on strengthening Ethiopia's domestic defense manufacturing capacity, with Azerbaijan expressing readiness to share expertise, particularly in defense industry knowledge transfer. No specific projects or agreements have been publicly disclosed.

Officials from both sides have described the current visit as an opportunity to elevate Ethiopia-Azerbaijan relations to a more active and substantive level.

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