MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Mutual trade turnover between Russia and Ethiopia more than doubled in the first half of this year alone, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeniy Terekhin told TASS.

"Ramping up trade and economic cooperation is an absolute priority for our relations. Trade turnover more than doubled in the first half of this year, having reached $191.2 mln, which demonstrates the high level of mutual business interest," he said.

Ethiopia is famous worldwide as the birthplace and producer of uniquely high-quality coffee, as well as the supplier of flowers, oilseeds, and legumes, the diplomat noted. "We see great potential for increasing supplies of those products to the Russian market," he stressed.

To this end, systematic work is being carried out to remove artificial barriers, Terekhin said. "The key issues, including simplifying logistics and creating financial settlement mechanisms independent of unfriendly countries, are the focus <…> of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, and they are also being worked on within the BRICS framework," he said.

The videoconference with the participation of 20 Russian and 15 Ethiopian companies, including such large structures as Ethiopian Investment Holdings, held recently at the initiative of the Russian Export Center and the Russian Economic Development Ministry has marked an important step in preparing the upcoming meeting of the intergovernmental commission, the ambassador added. "Direct contacts between producers and importers, bypassing intermediaries, are the most efficient way to boost trade flows. For our part, we provide every possible support to this process," he concluded.