Africa-Press – Angola. The Great Lakes Region registered an evolution in aspects related to the climate of peace and security, with emphasis on the substantial improvement of the external relations of the CIRGL Member States, as a result of an appreciation of the political circumstances, announced this Thursday, in Luanda. , during the meeting of the Regional Inter-ministerial Committee.
The position was expressed by the head of Angolan diplomacy, Téte António, as acting president of the Inter-ministerial Regional Committee, who underlined “the considerable improvements, mainly, in the internal and external relationship (intra and inter-States) of the Organization” .
Téte António, speaking at the opening of the ordinary meeting of the Regional Interministerial Committee (CRIM) of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (CIRGL), acknowledged the persistence of political and military instability in the “two Sudans”, as well as the existence of negative forces acting in some Member States, particularly in the East of the DRC and the Central African Republic.
In the case of CAR, he recalled that, given the worsening political and security situation, resulting from the post-election crisis, the Angolan Head of State, as acting president of the sub-regional Organization, convened three extraordinary mini-summits in 2021, dedicated exclusively to the political and security situation of this Central African country.
At the third and last mini-summit in Luanda, said the Angolan minister, the Heads of State and Government approved the Joint Roadmap for Peace in the Central African Republic, where they recommended exact measures for its implementation.
During the meeting, which served to adopt essential measures to adequately face the current challenges, Téte António highlighted that the Angolan State has been following, with great concern, the attacks carried out by terrorist groups in the East of the DRC and in other countries of the sub-region.
The proliferation of terrorist groups, he continued, highlights the need to strengthen regional cooperation and coordination mechanisms in the political, security, defense and intelligence spheres, with a view to effectively anticipating threats and preventing risks in the sub-region.
For Minister Téte António, solid cooperation between States and international organizations, including NGOs and civil society, is a key instrument in the fight against terrorism and other threats faced by all countries.
It was in this perspective, and on the occasion of the 33rd session of the Ordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in February 2020, that President João Lourenço proposed holding an AU summit exclusively dedicated to the issue of terrorism in Africa.
In this sense, he advanced, the 35th session of the Ordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union convened, for next May, in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, the Summit on terrorism and unconstitutional regime changes in Africa.
The meeting will be an opportunity for the Heads of State and Government to reflect on the problem of coups d’etat and terrorism on the African continent, as well as to find the best solutions to combat and discourage such practices.
Angola is pleased with the fact that relevant initiatives have been developed, which have contributed greatly to reducing instability in the Region, where significant progress has been made in the process of normalizing relations between Rwanda and Burundi, and between Rwanda, Uganda and the DRC, as well as the peaceful holding of free and transparent elections in some of the countries mentioned, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Minister Téte António acknowledged that major challenges still persist in various sectors, within the scope of the implementation of essential actions to improve the indicators of democracy and good governance.
The official said he hoped that “the meeting of the Regional Interministerial Committee (CRIM) will serve for reflection and propose concrete solutions in the fields of bi- and multilateral cooperation, and that it will prioritize dialogue and permanent consultation for the management of border security issues” .
CIRGL reform
The Angolan side requested the Interministerial Regional Committee to support the reform of the Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region to promote a new organizational structure that is suited to the challenges of peace, security, stability and regional development, to which all States -members are confronted.
The Conference, he said, faces challenges typical of multilateral organizations that depend on contributions from their members, in order to facilitate not only the functioning, but also the financing of their expenses.
Téte António expressed his concern about the Organization’s financial situation, considered “unhealthy”, due to the fact that many States do not honor their mandatory annual contributions. “The Executive Secretariat must improve the management of available resources and promote a culture of presentation of detailed quarterly financial reports, in accordance with the recommendations of the meeting of finance experts, which took place in November 2020”, said the Angolan minister.
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