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London, England (1 March, 2017) – At a jubilant ceremony in London at the Federation’s High Commission, St. Kitts & Nevis and the Democratic Federal Republic of Ethiopia officially established diplomatic relations. The signature of the joint communiqué formalising ties between the two countries marks a significant milestone for the Federation given the storied history between the Caribbean and the African country.

The Ambassador of Ethiopia, H.E Dr Hailemichael Afework exalted the establishment of diplomatic relations by committing himself to the nourishment of the relations in London and beyond. He further noted the existing cooperation as exemplified in fora such as the Group of Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) in Brussels. He used the opportunity to invite the Federation to establish a presence in Addis Ababa, that country’s capital and seat of the African Union.

High Commissioner Isaac informed the Ethiopian envoy of the influence of his country in St. Kitts and Nevis and indeed the Caribbean through the Rastafarian community. Dr Isaac called for both countries to continue leveraging that history to seek new grounds for cooperation in education, commerce, tourism and cultural exchanges.  High Commissioner Isaac proffered the idea of both countries sharing expertise and best practices in areas such as sugar production and tourism. Both envoys also called for increased bilateral and multilateral cooperation across important dossiers such as climate change.

High Commissioner Isaac, on behalf of Foreign Minister Brantley, extended an invitation for Ethiopian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to visit the Federation.  The Ethiopian envoy reciprocated and pledged to advance the spirit of cooperation enshrined in the joint communiqué.