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Relations between Ethiopia and Belgium
The relations between Ethiopia and Belgium were formally established at the beginning of the 20th century when the Kingdom of Belgium opened its consulate in Addis Ababa in 1906. However, historical literatures show that the two countries had established contacts in 1842, when the King of Belgium, Leopold I, sent his Consul in Alexandria to visit Abyssinia (as Ethiopia used to be known at the time). There are also indications that King Leopold II sent an emissary to meet with Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia. The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of great innovation in Ethiopia and saw a great exchange of trade with the rest of the world. The country imported, among other things, innumerable firearms from different countries of Europe. Belgium was one of these countries where Ethiopia used to import firearms. The Ethiopian people came to distinguish these firearms by their country of origin - Belgig. The bilateral relations were further strengthened when Belgium upgraded its Consulate to Legation in 1923 and Crown Prince Teferi Mekonen visited Belgium in 1924. Belgium has also played a role in the military history of Ethiopia and specially in the modernization of the country’s army before the second world war. In 1930, a Belgian military mission was invited by Emperor Haile Selassie to train the Imperial Bodyguard. In 1941, Belgium supported Ethiopia in its fight against the occupying forces of Fascist Italia. Belgian soldiers participated in the liberation war. After World War II, the friendly relations between the two countries were further consolidated by mutual visits. Emperor Haile Selassie visited Belgium in 1959, two years after the Belgian Legation become a full-fledged Embassy, and the King of Belgium, Baudouin, and his spouse, Queen Fabiola, visited Ethiopia in 1972. A page was turned in 1973. During the somber hours of the Derg regime, the links between Belgium and Ethiopia tended to slacken more and more, as the emphasis shifted to purely humanitarian questions. Belgium didn't abandon the country to its fate however; as many will remember that the C-130's of the Belgian air force were the last ones to fly during the great 1984-1985 famine, even when all others had already given up. It is at that time that they developed their revolutionary low-altitude food aid dropping techniques which set a world standard. In 1991, Ethiopia turned yet another page in its history. Indeed, Belgian relations with Ethiopia have steadily picked up momentum with the introduction of democratic and economic reforms following the demise of the Derg regime. Belgian assistance to development activities in Ethiopia has gradually increased. Visits in 1996, by the Secretary of State for the Development Cooperation, Dr. Reginald Moreels and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Erik Dereijcke were the results. Ethio-Belgian relations have recorded a steady growth in recent years, evident in the exchange of visits of high level officials namely visit to Belgium by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Seyoum Mesfin in 1997 and visit of Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Girma Birru in 2005 on the Ethiopian side as well as visit to Ethiopia by Secretary of State Edddy Boutmans in 2001 and visit to Ethiopia by Princess Astrid in 2002 in the Belgian side. Trade and development cooperation have also been on a rise and the number of Belgian businessmen and tourists visiting Ethiopia has since increased significantly. Relations between Ethiopia and the kingdom of the Netherlands Ethiopia and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1921. The diplomatic office of the Netherlands was upgraded to the level of an Embassy in 1960 while Ethiopia opened a Consulate General in The Hague in 1994. The Consulate General was closed in 2006. At the moment, Ethiopian representation to the Kingdom of the Netherlands is made through the Ethiopian Embassy in Brussels. Ethio-Dutch relations have experienced both ups and downs since the downfall of the Derg Regime in 1991. With regard to development cooperation, eventhough the cooperation between the two countries has also been varying from time to time, the Netherlands considers Ethiopia as a ‘partner country’. The development assistance Ethiopia receives from the Netherlands generally focuses on health and education and is mainly channeled through non-governmental organizations. With respect to investment, however, the Dutch support through the PSOM has added impetus to the steady progress and maturity of the floriculture sector in Ethiopia. According to the Ethiopian Investment Agency, until November 2007, 123 investment projects of Dutch origin have registered in Ethiopia with a total capital of 10,4 million Birr. Among the 123 projects, 36 (with a total capital of Birr 1,196,765, 000) have already gone operational. Currently investments from the Netherlands include such projects as car assembly plants. More recently Dutch companies are exploring other areas of investment such as the oilseed’s sector. In this connection, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, during the visit of the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation in March 2008, to launch a public-private partnership in the sector of oilseeds. Trade has also seen encouraging developments between the two countries. Ethiopia’s export towards the Netherlands has remarkably increased. This is mainly due to the Dutch investment in the floriculture sector. The floriculture industry is projected to earn Ethiopia around USD 125 Million in the year 2008. Under Lome I-V, Ethiopia has been allocated 1.9 billion euros and has used 1.3 billion (68.4%) up to 31 December 2001. Ethiopia is allocated 538 million euros under the Cotonou Agreement (2000-2007). Under the 10th EDF, which covers the period 2008-2013, the EU has allocated to Ethiopia 644 million euros (‘A’ allocation) and 30 million euros (‘B’ allocations). |
Relations between...
• Ethiopia and the Benelux • Ethiopia and European Union Featured Media Click on the video to see a larger version. Click on the video to see a larger version. |
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