NAIROBI, Kenya

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday to ensure lasting peace in the country, particularly after the Tigray conflict, which has caused widespread death, violence and displacement.

Scholz said in a statement that Ethiopia “has made many strides in ending the civil war in Tigray."

"I encouraged Prime Minister Abiy and the regional government to continue working for lasting peace and to deal with war crimes," he said.

Ahmed met with Scholz in the capital Addis Ababa to discuss matters on peace and bilateral and multilateral issues of mutual importance.

Scholz is on a visit to East Africa that kicked off in Ethiopia on May 4.

This is his second trip to Africa since taking office, and the visit aims to focus on peacekeeping, green energy and the consequences of Russia's war in Ukraine.

During their meeting, Ahmed and Scholz vowed to strengthen longstanding Ethiopian-German ties.

"We discussed an enhanced Ethiopian-German partnership in addition to regional and multilateral issues," Ahmed said in a statement.

The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine and other regional security concerns, including the situation in neighboring countries such as Somalia and Sudan.

During his visit to Ethiopia, Scholz also met with African Union Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat and expressed his support for the African Union’s efforts to secure a seat at the G20 summit.

Scholz assured Mahamat that he had Germany's full backing in advocating for the African Union’s inclusion in the annual gathering of the world's most powerful economies.

Scholz is scheduled to visit Kenya on Friday.

Kenya is Germany's largest trading partner in East Africa, with bilateral trade worth over €400 million ($441 million) in 2020.