1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang, Kyung-wha had a telephone conversation with Mr. Gedu Andargachew, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on the afternoon of June 12 at the latter’s request and exchanged views on response to COVID-19 and the way forward for the relations between the Republic of Korea and Ethiopia.

2. The two Ministers particularly noted with appreciation that, in the process of addressing difficulties due to COVID-19, the two countries had been able to reaffirm their close relations, including through the ROK’s humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, such as the provision of diagnostic kits, cooperation of Ethiopia where troops of the Hanbit Unit stop over in the course of their rotation from and to the Republic of South Sudan, and Ethiopia’s cooperation for return home of ROK nationals from Africa.

 
3. Minister Gedu highly commended the ROK government’s successful response to COVID-19 and extended appreciation to the ROK government and private sector for their timely provision of quarantine equipment, including COVID-19 diagnostic kits, to Ethiopia, saying that it demonstrates the long-standing friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

4. Minister Kang mentioned that the ROK had provided humanitarian assistance items to Ethiopia before any other African country as it values its relations with the country, which had fought alongside the ROK in the Korean War. She went on to suggest that the two countries continue cooperation on not only COVID-19 response but also health and medical care. She added that the ROK will further expand its assistance to not only Ethiopia but also other countries in Africa.

 
5. Minister Kang noted that, despite the difficulty in traveling due to COVID-19, thanks to the prompt and active cooperation of the Ethiopian government, the rotation of troops of the ROK’s Hanbit Unit from and to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) could take place without difficulty via Addis Ababa, and ROK nationals in Africa could safely return home after gathering in Addis Ababa from other African countries.

 
° Minister Gedu extended appreciation for the support by the Korean Residents Association in the Republic of Ghana in return home of Ethiopian students from Ghana, saying that this is a case demonstrating strong friendship between not only the governments but also people of the ROK and Ethiopia.

6. Minister Kang expressed special gratitude to the people and government of Ethiopia, including Korean War veterans and their families, as this year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, as well as hope that the face masks provided by the ROK government would be helpful to war veterans and their families. In response, Minister Gedu mentioned that Ethiopia attaches great value to its relations with the ROK, which remembers the war veterans and their families, and expressed hope for continued solidarity and cooperation between the two countries. 

7. The telephone conversation between the two Ministers came after the ROK-Ethiopia foreign ministerial meeting in Addis Ababa in July 2019 and another in Seoul during the official visit to the ROK by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in August 2019. Such frequent exchanges between the two Ministers demonstrate the close cooperative relations between the two countries.