ADDIS ABABA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia and Kenya on Tuesday expressed commitment to enhance ties on bilateral and regional issues.
The announcement came during the visit of Kenyan foreign minister Monica Juma to Ethiopia, where she held talks with new Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
In a press statement, The Office of Spokesperson for Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Juma had also extended an invitation to Ahmed to pay his first foreign state visit to Kenya.
Kenya was among the first African countries to congratulate Ahmed on his swearing in on April 2 as Ethiopia's new prime minister.
The two neighboring nations Ethiopia and Kenya enjoy strong economic, political and defense ties, underscored in recent years by construction of road and electric infrastructure.
In particular, a 1.26-billion-U.S.-dollar Ethio-Kenya high voltage electricity transmission line, financed by the African Development Bank and being built by China Electric Power Equipment and Technology, is expected to further cement ties.
Ethiopia is constructing or has constructed electric transmission lines to Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya with a view to earning revenue from energy exports to the neighboring nations.
