Ethiopia was the only nation in Africa to have never been colonized by a European country. In 1935, Italian troops entered Ethiopia and successfully triumphed over the Ethiopian army and proceeded to occupy the country for the next five years. This was known as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. At the League of Nations, Mexico was one of only five member-states to condemn the Italian invasion and occupation of Ethiopia. Because of this, Ethiopia kept its seat in the assembly, and it remained a member.[1] A few years after World War II, diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Mexico were established in 1949. In 1954, Emperor Haile Selassie became the first ever African head of state to pay an official visit to Mexico.[2]
In 1963, both nations opened embassies in each other’s capitals, respectively; however, Mexico closed its embassy in Ethiopia in 1989 due to financial reasons and Ethiopia followed suit in 1990. In 2007, Mexico re-opened its embassy in Addis Ababa.[3]
To commemorate Mexico’s assistance to Ethiopia during its occupation by Italy; Ethiopia named a center square in Addis Ababa “Mexico Square“. In 2010, the Mexican government donated a replica of an Olmec colossal head to Ethiopia where it was placed in Mexico Square.[1] In September 2015, the Ethiopian capital inaugurated its Light Rail system and has a “Mexico Station”. On the 22nd of June, 1954, a traffic circle in Mexico City was named “Plaza Etiopía”, under which in August 1980, a metro station in Mexico City was built and named Metro Etiopía. In 1985, after a major earthquake shook Mexico City, Ethiopia donated $5,000 to help aid the victims of the earthquake.[4]
In July 2010, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi arrived to Cancun to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference.[5] In June 2012, Prime Minister Zenawi again visited Mexico to participate in the G-20 summit being heald in Los Cabos.[6] In 2014, both nations marked 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.[7] In 2017, Ethiopian Airlines launched cargo services between both nations.[8]
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia%E2%80%93Mexico_relations