Ethiopia and Ireland pledged Thursday to step up their development cooperation.

In a joint statement issued after their talks, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin and his Irish counterpart Dermot Ahern said the two countries are desirous of bolstering their cooperation.

They said they held fruitful discussions on ways of bumping up the development cooperation between the two countries.

They also said that they discussed other bilateral and international issues, especially on the Ethio-Eritrea dispute as well as the current situations in Sudan and Somalia.

Seyoum said the understanding between Ethiopia and Ireland has a unique dimension.

Seyoum said Ireland is a major development partner to Ethiopia, thanking the government and people of Ireland for their assistance in the development endeavors in Ethiopia.

Ahern pledged increased assistance in the Horn of Africa country.

Ahern, who started his visit to Ethiopia on Wednesday, said the purpose of his visit was to identify the kind of assistance Ethiopia needs.

Source: Xinhua