The cable came after Ethiopia’s October 5 parliamentary vote.
In the June 1, 2026 parliamentary elections, the ruling Prosperity Party won 438 of the 486 seats for which results were officially announced.
Message follows re-election
The report was datelined Addis Ababa on October 13, 2026. The Saudi Press Agency said Mohammed bin Salman sent the cable and conveyed his wishes in an official congratulatory notice.
Ethiopia’s parliament re-elected Abiy on October 5, following the June parliamentary elections. He took the constitutional oath at the opening of the seventh parliament, according to the foreign ministry’s account.
The government says its five-year agenda focuses on peace and national dialogue, alongside economic transformation. It also names institutional reform and improved public services. Digital modernization and macroeconomic change are part of the agenda as well.
Saudi Arabia was the largest global importer of Ethiopian products in 2025, according to the Saudi ambassador to Ethiopia. Imports were valued at about 2 billion Saudi riyals, with coffee accounting for roughly 80% of shipments; Saudi exports to Ethiopia were estimated at about 184 million riyals.
