Ethiopia: Slovenia Eyes Stronger Ties With Ethiopia

– Slovenia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Kristina Radej, has reaffirmed her country’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Ethiopia, highlighting promising opportunities in agriculture, beekeeping, forestry and diplomacy.

In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Ambassador Radej celebrated the recent establishment of Slovenia’s Embassy in Addis Ababa–the youngest European embassy in the capital.

“It is an absolute honor to serve as Slovenia’s first resident ambassador to Ethiopia. Addis Ababa is the place to be, both diplomatically and personally,”she said.

Since opening in November, the Embassy has moved swiftly to establish its presence. “We are catching up with decades of work that others have done here. We are working fast, but by the book,” Kristina noted. Slovenia’s presence is also reinforced through its membership in the European Union and its current role on the UN Security Council.

Addis Ababa’s position as the diplomatic capital of Africa is central to Slovenia’s strategy. “Being accredited to the African Union allows us to reach out to every country on the continent from here,” she explained. “That is a huge diplomatic advantage.”

One of the most exciting areas of cooperation is beekeeping. Ambassador Kristina praised Ethiopia’s rich beekeeping tradition, noting a shared cultural affinity between the two nations.

“Like Slovenia, Ethiopia has a deep historical connection to bees,” she said.

“But modernization is key. We want to introduce our model of urban beekeeping so that even city dwellers can produce honey and contribute to exports,” she added.