30-01-2018, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), H.E. Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, received credential letters from the Ambassador of Italy to Ethiopia, H.E. Arturo Luzzi, and the Ambassador of Iran to Ethiopia, H.E. Behzad Khakpour, yesterday in Addis Ababa.
The Executive Secretary thanked Amb Luzzi for the enhanced support provided by the government of Italy to the regional organisation and also for the innovative collaboration between the IGAD Centre of Excellence to Prevent/Combat Violent Extremism (CVE) and the Italian Carabinieri both based in Djibouti. The Italian Ambassador is set to come to visit IGAD Secretariat and staff in Djibouti mid February as part of a broader mission to that country.
The Ambassador of Iran was received at IGAD premises in Addis Ababa by the Executive Secretary and Senior staff members. Amb Khakpour was briefed on the growing relations between IGAD and his country. The two parties discussed ways and means to operationalise a Memorundum of Understanding signed in Iran. Amb Maalim and Amb Khakpour committed themselves and their respective teams to identify areas of cooperation, and foresaw peace and security, trade, capacity building, education as entry points.
The Executive Secretary also received the Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia, H.E. Raphael Morav, at the IGAD premises in Addis Ababa the same day. The discussions evolved around potential collaboration between the two parties since Israel had good bilateral relations with some IGAD Member States.
