Addis Ababa [Ethiopia], December 15 (ANI): With India set to chair the BRICS summit in 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Ethiopia marks a 'very historic moment' that will strengthen bilateral ties and deepen cooperation on international issues, including UN reforms and BRICS agendas, said India's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Anil Kumar Rai.

Speaking ahead of the Prime Minister's two-day state visit to the African country from December 16 to December 17, Ambassador Rai on Sunday highlighted the two countries' 'long-standing, deep and friendly relationship' and their status as important partners on international issues, noting that both are members of the BRICS grouping.

'India and Ethiopia are two civilisational countries, and we have a very long-standing, deep and friendly relationship. PM Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ethiopia in the last 15 years. So this is a very historic moment for us and we see that there is a big and rich agenda on which the discussions will take place. It will strengthen the cooperation at the bilateral level. Both countries are members of BRICS. And we are very important partners when it comes to cooperating on international issues, such as UN reforms and regional issues, and also there are agendas which we discuss at the regional level, particularly at the level of BRICS. India is going to be the chair of BRICS in 2026, with Ethiopia being an important member. So all those issues will come up during the discussions,' the Ambassador said.

India is one of the founding members of the formal grouping. The organisation was first formalised at the BRIC Foreign Ministers meeting on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York in 2006, with the first summit taking place in Russia in 2009.

Following South Africa's inclusion in the organisation in 2010, the group was expanded to BRICS.

Ethiopia officially joined BRICS in January 2024, following an invitation in August 2023 under South Africa's chairmanship. Along with Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, and the UAE became the full members of the grouping.

Rai further stated that multiple sectors are under discussion, and the visit's outcomes are expected to be shared with the media on the evening of December 16.

'We are under discussion in multiple sectors, and we expect a good outcome from this visit, which will be conveyed to the media on the evening of the 16th,' he added.

PM Modi will be in Ethiopia for a two-day state visit, during the second leg of his three-nation visit following his visit to Jordan.

He will be in the African nation at the invitation of Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed Ali.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this will be PM Modi's first visit to Ethiopia, duirng which he will be holding wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Ali on all aspects of India-Ethiopia bilateral ties.

'As partners in the Global South, the visit will be a reiteration of the shared commitment of the two nations to advance close ties of friendship and bilateral cooperation,' the MEA said in a statement. (ANI)