The EU Foreign Ministers’ Troika in the framework of the EU-Africa dialogue was held in Vienna today, 8 May. Participating in the meeting with Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik were her counterpart from the Congo, Rodolphe Adada, as representative of the Presidency of the African Union, the Foreign Minister of Sudan, Lam Akol, and the Commissioners of the African Union for Economic Affairs, Maxwell Mkwezalamba, and for Peace and Security, Said Djinnit. Also in attendance were EU Commissioner for Development Cooperation, Louis Michel, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Koen Vervaeke, Head of the Africa Task Force of the policy unit of the General Secretariat of the EU Council, and George Ajonye, representing the Nigerian Foreign Minister.
Discussions focused on the concrete implementation of the EU-Africa strategy, new areas of cooperation and the dialogue on human rights and migration, as well as current political questions, in particular the situation in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in Chad.
“With the Africa strategy adopted in December 2005, the EU intended to improve the structure of its policies towards its southern neighbour. Under the Austrian Presidency we have now begun to work on the implementation of this strategy. As a result, at today's meeting of foreign ministers with our African partners we adopted a common working programme with concrete objectives and measures. In addition, we also resolved to go further and to develop a common strategy for the EU and Africa”, said Plassnik.
“The challenges are not limited to Africa – they affect all of us”, she continued. “The EU therefore supports the far-reaching efforts of our African friends on their path towards regional integration and consequently towards greater political responsibility for the region.”
"The African Union and the EU are also partners in the efforts towards peace, democracy and development. The EU supports the African Union in these efforts, as well as in its efforts at mediation and in its peace missions, like the one in Darfur”, continued Plassnik.
“The signing of a peace treaty in the Nigerian capital of Abuja by the Sudanese government and the largest rebel movement was a major breakthrough that opens the opportunity for overcoming the humanitarian crisis. The people of Darfur have suffered from this conflict for far too long. I call on all the remaining rebel groups to join in the treaty and on all parties to quickly implement the peace settlement”, said Plassnik.
“In the last few years, we have developed ever closer and broader cooperation between the EU and Africa. Today we have also agreed upon a regular, institutionalised dialogue on human rights. Furthermore, this autumn we intend to hold an African-European economic forum and a joint migration conference. Human rights are the basic condition for democracy and a prosperous economy for development; migration flows not only affect both regions, they can only be managed jointly”, she concluded.
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