Kumar Bahukhandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, was conferred with Ethiopia’s highest award ‘The Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia’ by his Ethiopian counterpart Abiy Ahmed Ali. Photo credit: X/@MEAIndia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Ethiopia for a two-day visit. During this visit, PM Modi will address the Ethiopian Parliament. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was at the airport to receive him. From there, he drove PM Modi to his hotel in his own car.
Ethiopia has bestowed its highest honor, the Great Honor of the Order of Ethiopia, upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In honoring PM Modi, Ethiopia broke with long-standing traditions. PM Modi is the first foreign head of state to receive Ethiopia’s highest civilian award, the Great Honor of the Order of Ethiopia. He has now received top honors from 25 countries worldwide. No other Indian Prime Minister has received so many prestigious awards. PM Modi was presented with the award at a special ceremony held at the Addis Ababa International Conference Center. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement issued in New Delhi, said that the Prime Minister was given the award for his exceptional contribution to strengthening the India-Ethiopia partnership and for his visionary leadership as a global statesman.
Upon being honored, PM Modi said, “This is a great honor for me.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ethiopia on Tuesday after concluding his visit to Jordan. During his visit, PM Modi held a meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. PM Modi referred to Ethiopian PM Ahmed Ali as his brother and friend. Upon receiving Ethiopia’s highest honor, Prime Minister Modi said, “It is a great honor for me to be here on this great land of Ethiopia, among all of you. I arrived in Ethiopia this afternoon. As soon as I arrived, the people here made me feel an amazing warmth and sense of belonging. Prime Minister Ali came to receive me at the airport. He took me to Friendship Park and the Science Museum. I had important discussions with the leadership here on various issues.”
Support in the fight against terrorism appreciated
Earlier, during his meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, PM Modi said, “I am very happy to be in Ethiopia. This is my first visit to Ethiopia. But as soon as I set foot here, I felt a deep sense of familiarity and warmth.” PM Modi said, “We are grateful for your condolences on the Pahalgam terrorist attack and for your support in our fight against terrorism. The support of friendly countries in our fight against terrorism means a lot to us.”
PM Modi said, “A clear roadmap will be prepared to realise the immense possibilities of the future. Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the key aspects of our cooperation, such as economy, innovation, technology, defense, health, capacity building, and multilateral cooperation. I am happy that today we have decided to double the scholarships for Ethiopian students in India.”
Contact between the two countries for thousands of years
Prime Minister Modi said, “India and Ethiopia have had contact and exchange of communication for thousands of years. Both countries, rich in languages and traditions, are symbols of unity.” He added, “Today, we are taking India-Ethiopia relations to the level of a strategic partnership. This step will provide new energy, new momentum, and new depth to our relations.”
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali said, “Our economy is moving forward strongly. Last year, our growth rate was 9.2 percent, and this year we are expecting a growth of 10.3 percent. Along with GDP growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) is also increasing rapidly in our country.”
Ali said, “India is a major source of FDI. More than 615 Indian companies are investing in Ethiopia. This provides a strong foundation of trust to our cooperation. I believe that the decision we have taken today to transform our historical relations into strategic relations is absolutely correct.”
