ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, November 23, 2015/APO (African Press Organization)/ —
A high-level delegation of the African Union (AU) led by the Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smail Chergui, and comprising former President Pierre Buyoya, AU High Representative for Mali and the Sahel and Head of the AU Mission for Mali and the Sahel (MISAHEL), Ambassador Francisco Madeira, Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and Ambassador Abdelhamid Bouzaher, Head of the AU Permanent Observer Mission to the League of Arab States, arrived in the State of Kuwait, on 21 November 2015, for a two-day official visit. The AU delegation was received by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
During their consultations, the two sides discussed the implementation of the outcomes of the 3rd Africa-Arab Summit, which took place in Kuwait on 19 and 20 November 2013, under the theme “Partners in Development and Investment”. They focused particularly on issues relating to peace and security in Africa, with a view to further strengthening the cooperation between the AU Commission and the State of Kuwait. Both sides agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the area of peace and security, which will be finalized soon, in order to enhance the support to the AU peace and security agenda.
The Commissioner and the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister agreed on the need for enhanced coordination of efforts in countering terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism, and in addressing their root causes. They welcomed progress in the implementation of the Algiers Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali; in this regard, the Deputy Prime Minister expressed the commitment of the Kuwaiti Government to support the Mali peace process, notably by fulfilling its pledge of USD 50 million for post conflict recovery in Mali made at the 2013 Brussels Donor Conference for Development in Mali. Furthermore, both parties noted with satisfaction the achievements of AMISOM in Somalia and stressed the need for sustained support in order to enable AMISOM defeat the terrorist groups active on the ground and create conditions conducive for the successful implementation of Vision 2016 in the country.
The Commissioner and the Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister also exchanged views on the situations in Libya, the Central African Republic, Burundi, Burkina Faso and Darfur (Sudan), as well as on the situation in Yemen and its impact on regional security.
