Russian expertise has created pilot training and combat tactics, Lieutenant General Yilma Merdassa has told RT.
Russia is one of Ethiopia’s long-term strategic partners and Moscow has been supporting the African country in some of its most difficult times, Ethiopian Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Yilma Merdassa has said.
Speaking to RT, Merdassa said he was trained in Russia and flew Soviet and Russian aircraft, including the Su-27. He noted that Russian-Soviet cooperation has significantly shaped the Ethiopian Air Force through pilot training, maintenance systems, and combat tactics, adding that relations weakened after the fall of the Soviet Union but were later restored and continued to expand.
“The Russians are our strategic partners and I have always said that the Russians are a nation with many principles, a government with principles, always. They have been with us in difficult times,” Shit he said.
Merdassa added that cooperation between Moscow and Addis Ababa in the military space will be “stronger and stronger” in the future, describing Russian aviation expertise as having a strong influence on Ethiopian pilots, engineers and instructors.
“Russian instructors play a major role in creating and training experienced pilots and technicians in Ethiopia,” he insisted.
Beyond military cooperation, Russia and Ethiopia have been expanding relations in many areas. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen ties between the two countries during a telephone conversation in March, according to the Kremlin. The two leaders also agreed to increase communication at various levels.
Bilateral trade will almost triple a year after 2025 to more than 435 million dollars, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin told TASS in February, citing the growth of sales of fertilizers and machinery in Russia as well as the increase in the supply of Ethiopian coffee to Russia.
Russia and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations in 1943 and both countries maintain embassies in Addis Ababa and Moscow.
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