Cooperation between Ethiopia and Malta, including the possibility of Ethiopian Airlines using Malta as a stopover for flights to the United States, were discussed on Tuesday when Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali visited Malta for a few hours.   

Ali was given a ceremonial welcome when he arrived at Castille Square for talks with Prime Minister Robert Abela. 

Photo: DOI

Foreign Minister Ian Borg and Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia were also present for the meeting, which the government said, focused on aviation and other areas of cooperation between the two countries.  

A statement by the Office of the Prime Minister said the Ethiopian national airline, the largest airline company in Africa and the fourth largest in the world in terms of destinations, is considering flights to Malta.

Abela said that this development was not only positive for Malta but it would also enable Ethiopian Airlines to fly on to the United States.

Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The prime minister described Ethiopia, together with Ghana, as “key strategic partners in Africa". 

Malta recently opened an embassy in Ghana and also opened an embassy in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa in 2021. Abela said he could see Malta becoming an important commercial hub for Ethiopia.

Both sides also discussed enhanced cooperation in the maritime sector, artificial intelligence, education and science, the statement said. It made no mention of migration. 

Malta and Ethiopia currently have hardly any links - political or trade, but a new school dedicated to the memory of three Maltese people was opened in the Ethiopian town of Jimma Bonga last month.

Funded by Maltese donations and support from the Sigma Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Sigma Group, it was dedicated to Rebecca Zammit Lupi, Jonathan Chetcuti and Karl Pace, who all died in tragic circumstances within the past few years. 

Malta is also home to a community of Ethiopian migrants. 

Talks in Rome

Ali flew in from Rome where, on Monday, he met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and signed a cooperation agreement that includes €180 million in Italian grants and soft loans, which the Ethiopian prime minister said were “essential” for economic reform and a ten-year development plan in his country.