ADDIS ABABA, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) have reiterated their joint resolve to strengthen collaboration in combating transnational crimes.

This came as Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie met with President of INTERPOL Ahmed Naser Al-Raisi in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Friday.

The Ethiopian president, commending INTERPOL's role in facilitating cooperation between police forces, expressed the East African country's commitment to deepening collaboration in the fight against transnational crimes, the Office of the Ethiopian President said in a statement on Friday.

Highlighting Ethiopia's long-standing cooperation with INTERPOL, Al-Raisi noted that for 67 years, Ethiopia has been an instrumental partner of INTERPOL in East Africa, contributing to major operations and supporting joint investigations across the continent and beyond.

The two sides further emphasized the importance of coordinated efforts in combating terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, and cross-border criminal networks, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the INTERPOL chief also met with Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Mahmoud Ali Youssouf at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. The two sides reaffirmed joint commitment to deepening institutional collaboration to combat transnational crime and enhance the rule of law across Africa, according to an AU statement issued on Friday.

The AUC chief commended INTERPOL's "vital role in promoting global security and law enforcement cooperation." ■