ST. PETERSBURG, July 26. /TASS/. Russia holds long-standing friendly relations with Ethiopia in high esteem, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at talks with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in St. Petersburg.

"We treasure long-standing friendly ties between Russia and Ethiopia based on the principles of mutual respect, taking into account each other’s interests," the Russian leader said. According to him, during the meeting, it is planned to discuss in detail the pertinent issues of the bilateral and international agenda.

Putin thanked the Ethiopian prime minister and the country’s delegation for deciding to attend the Russia-Africa Summit which will be held in St. Petersburg on July 27-28.

As the Russian leader noted, the countries maintain regular political dialogue, for instance, their top diplomats are in close interaction. "Russia and Ethiopia have shared positions in resolving many pertinent issues of the global agenda," Putin stressed. He expressed hope that these talks today and work at the Russia-Africa summit will be productive and serve toward fostering relations between the two countries.

Abiy Ahmed has been Ethiopia’s prime minister since 2018. In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.".