Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni began
a two-day visit to Ethiopia on Friday focusing on bilateral
development cooperation, regional stability and migration
management, among other issues.
The agenda in Addis Ababa includes meetings with Ethiopian
Premier Abiy Ahmed, who was in Rome in February, and African
Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat.
Italy considers the "stability and integrity" of Ethiopia to be
a priority for national interest due to its position on the
migratory route from the Horn of Africa to North Africa and
Europe.
The country hosts 823,000 refugees and 4.2 million internally
displaced people.
The humanitarian crisis and conflict in neighbouring Somalia are
reportedly to be the subject of a bilateral meeting with Somali
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and of a separate meeting with
Ethiopian and Somali representatives on Saturday.
Before leaving, Meloni will also visit the Galileo Galilei
comprehensive school in the Ethiopian capital, the largest
Italian school outside the country with approximately 900
pupils.
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