World Bulletin / News Desk

A Turkish parliamentary delegation that met Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome on Tuesday said that the visit contributed to the further enhancement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Hasan Sert, the chairman of the Turkish parliament’s Ethio-Turkish Friendship Committee, told Anadolu Agency that the delegation held talks with the president and other Ethiopian officials on various issues of common interest.

“We talked about the level of cooperation and friendship between the two countries, and provided the president with information on how the Turkish side has been enhancing the existing multi-faceted bilateral relations,” Sert said.

“We have also requested the president to help us hand over the Gulen schools in Ethiopia to Turkey, and President Teshome has promised to help,” he added.

According to Sert, both countries have agreed to hold further consultations to build on the existing economic, and diplomatic relations.

Asheber Getnet, the spokesperson of the office of the Ethiopian president, said that both sides had expressed willingness to enhance cooperation.

“They have agreed to deepen the economic, trade and investment ties,” he said.

Turkey is one of the leading investors in Ethiopia with a capital exceeding $3 billion.

According to official figures, the “overall trade volume in the first 11 months of 2017 between the two countries reached $347.8 million.’’

The delegation, which arrived in Ethiopia on Monday, also held talks with members of the Ethiopian federal parliament and the state minister of Ethiopian foreign affairs.