DEFENCE MINISTRY: Meeting between Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali

The signing ceremony of the Joint Declaration on the exhibition of the Weber A. VII Ethiopia 1 "Tsehai" plane at a museum in Ethiopia took place at the Air Force History Museum at Vigna di Valle

Immagini messe a disposizione con licenza
CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 IT

“The delivery by the Italian Government of the A. VII ETHIOPIAN aircraft to Ethiopia is a very strong signal which, on the day after the Italy-Africa Summit, reiterates the value of dialogue and the importance of international cooperation. A little less than a year since the visit in Addis Ababa of President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni, we concretely implemented this initiative, based on the proposal of our Heads of Government. The historical relationship between Ethiopia and Italy is thus confirmed within a context which aims to increase regional cooperation between African countries“, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in a press release after signing, on behalf of the Italian Government, a Joint Declaration with the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali at Vigna di Valle Air Force History Museum.

The Declaration, in fact, opens the way to the delivery of the A VII “Ethiopia 1” Tsehai aircraft, a unique plane used by the Ethiopian Imperial Air Force at the beginning of the 1930s for training and connection flights.  

Until 1941 the plane was an exhibit at the then being established Air Force Museum, temporarily located in Caserta. The aircraft was then moved to the Air Force History Museum at Vigna di Valle, where it remained until today. With the technical and logistical support of the Italian Air Force, the aircraft will be soon transported to Ethiopia to be exhibited at a dedicated museum in the African country.