U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy, Ambassador Michael Raynor, and General Thomas D. Waldhauser of U.S. Africa Command met with Her Excellency Minister of Defense Aisha Mohammed on November 28 to discuss opportunities for security cooperation between the United States and Ethiopia. During the meeting, the Assistant Secretary expressed optimism following the countries’ 8th Bilateral Defense Conference on November 15th, that Ethiopia’s reform process opens the opportunity to pursue new areas of cooperation toward a more secure region and to further build the capacity of Ethiopian military forces. After the meeting General Waldhauser stated, “We appreciate the robust partnerships we have with our Ethiopian partners. We have common security interests, particularly focused on countering the threat of violent extremism in East Africa and ensuring stability for our partners in the region. AFRICOM is focused on strengthening mutually beneficial relationships, such as the one we have here in Ethiopia. Alongside our Department of State counterparts and our international allies, we seek to improve and expand upon these relationships to further the security, stability, and prosperity of our African partners.”
###
