ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of China' top legislature and Ethiopian Federal Council said here Sunday that the two countries should strengthen cooperation between the two countries' legislatures as part of their efforts to push for improvement of bilateral relations of the two countries as a whole.

    Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo and Speaker of Ethiopian Federal Council Degefi Bula made the statements during their talks in the parliament building Sunday morning.

Ethiopian Federal Council Speaker Degefi Bula (R) meets with Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, in Addis Ababa Nov. 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing) Photo Gallery>>>

    Wu, chairman of China's National People's Congress, said that cooperation between the legislatures of the two countries have been an important driving force for further improvement of bilateral ties in general. China's National People's Congress is willing to enhance cooperation with the Ethiopian Federal Council at various levels and to exchange views on important issues of common concern.

    "We should make concerted efforts in this filed," Wu said.

    The Ethiopian Speaker said that bilateral ties of the two countries are built on a very solid basis and that the cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries has been playing an indispensable role in between.

    He also thought highly of China's policies on national minorities, saying that they can serve as good examples for Ethiopia in dealing with the similar issues since Ethiopia is, too, a country with many national minorities.

    Ethiopia is the third leg of Wu's five-African nation tour. He visited Algeria, Gabon last week and is to visit Madagascar and Seychelles.