Poland in Ethiopia

History

Poland started to foster diplomatic and commercial relations with Ethiopia on the beginning of the 30’s. The first visit took place in November 1930, when Polish chargé d'affaires came from Cairo to Addis Ababa for the enthronization of the Emperor Haile Selassie. Soon after Ethiopian Envoy in Paris officially visited Poland for the first time. In 1934 both countries signed the Treaty on Friendship, Trade and Settlement (pol. Traktat o Przyjaźni, Handlu i Osadnictwie), however by the reason of the Italian invasion on Ethiopia a few months later, it has never gone into effect.

In 1946 the legation of Ethiopia in Cairo suggested to renew diplomatic relations between both countries.  On the 3rd October 1947 Zygmunt Kuligowski, the Special Envoy and the Minister Plenipotentiary, presented his accreditation letters to the Emperor Haile Selassie. At the same time the Ethiopian Envoy in Moscow got accreditation in Warsaw. Between 1947 and 1960 Polish-Ethiopian relations were limited only to casual engagements. In 1960 the Polish Legation and the Office of Commercial Counselor began to operate in Addis Ababa. In 1961 the governments of Poland and Ethiopia raised their diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa and Moscow to the rank of embassies.

The visit of the Emperor Haile Selassie in September 1963 was significant for Polish-Ethiopian relations. The Emperor was decorated with the Grand Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland (Polonia Restituta). Furthermore, two treaties (on Cultural Cooperation, and on Scientific and Technical Cooperation) were signed during the visit. Poland also provided subsidies for Ethiopian students and sent to Ethiopia experts on various fields. At the same time in Ethiopia Polish movies were in the programme of a movie festival.

The 1974 coup was carried out in Ethiopia by the communist Derg (Coordinating Committee of the Armed Forces). It was approved by the authorities of the Polish People's Republic. Over the next years, representatives of both countries had numerous mutual visits and signed many agreements on trade, aviation, loans, culture and media. During that time number of Ethiopian scholars in Poland increased significantly. 

Political cooperation after 1989

At the end of 1992, the Polish Embassy in Ethiopia was closed due to budget cuts. Its duties were deputed to the Polish Embassy in Yemen. The embassy in Addis Ababa was reopened in the mid-2003. In May 2017, the President of the Republic of Poland - Andrzej Duda visited Ethiopia. It was the first official visit of the Polish President to Sub-Saharan Africa. Andrzej Duda together with Ethiopian President and Prime Minister held consultations on political and economic cooperation between both countries. During later visit at the African Union forum Poland presented its priorities in cooperation with African countries in the context of Poland's membership in the United Nations Security Council. In April 2018, President of Democratic Federal Republic of Ethiopia - Mulatu Teshome officially visited Poland. The President met with President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. During the visit, political consultations took place between the Polish and Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time representatives of both countries sat together in the UN Security Council. During the visit, a letter of intent regarding academic cooperation was signed. 

Polish-Ethiopian economic relations are relatively small. Exports from Poland to Ethiopia in 2020 reached 25,85 million USD. Imports from Ethiopia in 2020 reached 10,88 million USD. Ethiopia is Poland's 114th partner in foreign trade turnover. Ethiopia, with over 115 million inhabitants, is the second most populous country in Africa. Due to steady economic policy the country has recorded high economic growth of around 10% for the last decade. However, the difficult investment climate, closed financial system and chronic currency shortage prevented more significant Polish investments to arrive. Economic liberalization started in 2018 is expected to bring more opportunities for Polish-Ethiopian cooperation over time. 

During the visit of the President of Ethiopia to Warsaw in 2018 both parties signed a letter of intent on the academic cooperation. In 2020, 26 Ethiopian students received Polish Łukasiewicz scholarships.

Recognition of academic qualifications

There is no bilateral agreement. See more: NAWA.