Mexican-Ethiopian relations

Ethiopia was the only country in Africa that was never colonized by European countries. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia and began to occupy over the next five years. This event became known as the Second Italian-Ethiopian War . In the League of Nations, Mexico was one of five countries that condemned Italy’s aggression. Thanks to this, Ethiopia has retained its place in the assembly and remains its member ^[1] . A couple of years after the Second World War , in 1949 diplomatic relations were established between Mexico and Ethiopia. In 1954, Emperor Haile Selassie became the first head of the African state, who officially visited Mexico ^[2] .

In 1963, both countries opened embassies in each other’s capitals. However, Mexico closed its embassy in Ethiopia in 1989 due to financial reasons, and Ethiopia followed suit in 1990. In 2007, Mexico reopened its embassy in Addis Ababa ^[3] .

To commemorate the Mexican aid during the Italian occupation, the main square in Addis Ababa was called the Mexican square. In June 2012, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi visited Mexico to attend the G-20 summit ^[4] . In 2014, both countries marked the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations ^[5] .

In 2014, bilateral trade between Ethiopia and Mexico amounted to US $ 5.9 million ^[6] .