SAMI Deepens Cooperation with African Partners

As part of efforts to strengthen military-technical cooperation with African countries, a Belarusian delegation led by Minister of State for Military Industry Dmitry Pantus paid a working visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia on January 22–23, 2026.

The visit began with a meeting between the head of the Belarusian arms department and Ethiopian Minister of National Defence, Ms Aisha Mohammed. During the meeting, they discussed current issues of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and security, as well as prospects for expanding cooperation between the military-industrial complexes of our countries.

Dmitry Pantus continued his business programme with a meeting with the senior military leadership – Chief of the General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defence Forces, Field Marshal Birhanu Jula Gelalcha. The discussion focused on specific areas of military-technical cooperation and the procedure for their implementation.

Documents have been signed that lay the legal foundation for bilateral cooperation and define the main directions for its development over the next five years – the “Memorandum of Understanding between the State Military Industrial Committee and the Ethiopian Ministry of Defence”, and the “Roadmap for Military-Technical Cooperation between the State Authority for Military Industry and the Ethiopian Ministry of Defence for 2025–2030”.

In addition to the above-mentioned documents, the “Regulations on the Joint Belarusian-Ethiopian Committee on Military-Technical Cooperation” were signed, which will serve as a working tool for the practical implementation of existing projects and the identification of new areas of cooperation.

The SAMI delegation also represented the Republic of Belarus at the Aviation Expo 2026 international exhibition, timed to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Ethiopian Air Force. The forum, which included official participants from more than 35 countries, featured a joint stand of the Belarusian arms department, which became one of the main attractions for specialists and experts. It showcased advanced models of weapon systems and military and special equipment manufactured by domestic military-industrial complex enterprises.

The Belarusian exhibition was visited by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. Dmitry Pantus personally demonstrated unmanned aerial systems and innovative electronic warfare equipment to the Head of Government.

It should be noted that these types of weapon systems and specialised equipment, which have been tested in Ethiopia, have proven themselves successful and are already in combat duty, ensuring security in the region. In the near future, there are plans to establish joint assembly facilities for the military equipment models presented at the exhibition.