On June 3, 2026, Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie met with Metropolitan Anthony Sevryuk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, at the National Palace in Addis Ababa. Metropolitan Anthony congratulated Ethiopia on its recent peaceful and free general election and emphasized the deep historical and spiritual connections between Ethiopia and Russia, rooted in their shared Christian heritage. He highlighted the longstanding partnership between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, noting decades of cooperation through exchanges of leaders, clergy, and students. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening church-to-church relations and the broader friendship between Ethiopia and Russia.