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Koenig Arrives in Ethiopia to Begin African Tour



Eastoria One taxing on the runway after touching down at Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport on Sunday morning. PHOTO | MARTIN BÖCK

By Viktoria Stangl |@VikStangl

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – President Luke Koenig arrived in Ethiopia on Sunday morning to begin a weeklong tour of five African nations, marking the final international outreach of his presidency. His visit underscores Eastoria’s growing presence on the continent and sets the stage for the first-ever Eastoria–Africa Summit in Leskovac this August.

Koenig was received at Bole International Airport with full honours before being escorted to the National Palace for a closed-door bilateral meeting with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. According to both governments, the leaders discussed strategic partnerships in infrastructure, climate resilience, regional security, and economic cooperation. “The relations between Eastoria and Ethiopia have evolved into a model of pragmatic, mutually beneficial diplomacy,” said Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement issued Sunday evening. “Today’s discussions reaffirmed our shared ambition for a stronger, African-led development agenda.”

Later in the afternoon, President Koenig toured a local site operated by the Eastoria-Africa Development Fund (EADF) — a flagship foreign aid initiative launched by former president Martin Kollmann in 2014. The EADF station in Addis Ababa supports agricultural modernization and sustainable irrigation projects in rural Ethiopia. Eastorian Foreign Minister Felix Stadler praised the visit as “a powerful reaffirmation of Eastoria’s long-term commitment to African growth led by Africans.” He added, “Our investments through the EADF have touched lives — not with slogans, but with concrete results: clean water, rural electrification, digital access. This visit is about deepening that momentum.”

Koenig will spend Monday meeting regional diplomats and addressing the African Union Commission, where he is expected to officially invite all 55 African Union member states to the inaugural Eastoria–Africa Summit in Leskovac this August. The summit is being billed as a landmark event that will institutionalize Eastoria’s role as a development and investment partner across Africa. Political analysts in Leskovac say Koenig is using this final tour to cap a legacy of strategic continental outreach. “He’s the first Eastorian leader to treat Africa as a long-term geopolitical priority, not just a diplomatic photo op,” said Kristina Müller, a foreign policy expert at the Eastorian Centre for Strategic Affairs. “This visit — and the upcoming summit — are about locking in Eastoria’s soft power footprint before he leaves office.”

On the streets of Leskovac, many Eastorians are watching the trip closely. “I think it’s great we’re not just looking to Europe all the time,” said Martin Halber, a university student. “Africa is rising — and if we’re smart, we rise with it.” Others, like retired civil servant Andrea Mester, point to the symbolism. “President Koenig started this outreach in 2018, and he’s ending his term by standing with Africa. That says something.”

President Koenig departs Addis Ababa Monday evening and will continue his African tour with stops in Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Morocco throughout the week.

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