Africa-Press – Angola. The holding of the 7th Summit involving the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) in Angola, on the 24th and 25th of this month, reaffirms the country’s contribution to the discussion of global issues, said Jorge Cardoso, Director for Africa and the Middle East and Regional Organizations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thursday (20) in Luanda.
In statements to the press, at the end of the visit to assess the conditions of the venue (New Protocol Hall, on Luanda ‘s new boulevard), the official highlighted the capacity that the country has been demonstrating for holding large-scale events.
The summit spokesperson also cited as examples the recent holding in Luanda of the Africa-United States Business Forum and the Summit for Infrastructure Development in Africa.
He praised the commitment of the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, in his capacity as acting president of the African Union, to strengthening the partnership with the international community, particularly with the European Union.
In addition to the political and diplomatic gains, he continued, holding the AU-EU Summit will help to promote the country’s strengths in the economic, cultural and tourism fields, in order to capitalize on them.
He recalled that the participation of 76 Heads of State and Government is expected, 49 from the African Union and 27 from the European Union.
He said there are already indications of the arrival of some Heads of State, clarifying, however, that most will arrive on Saturday and Sunday.
The visit of the multi-sectoral team in charge of organizing the event was preceded by a meeting with members of the diplomatic corps accredited in Angola and with advance teams from participating countries, where protocol issues, reception, entry visas, transport, among others, were discussed.
Under the motto “Promoting Peace and Prosperity Through Effective Multilateralism”, the 7th AU-EU Summit will be co-chaired by the incumbent President of the African Union, João Lourenço, and the President of the European Council, António Costa.
The initiative, which coincides with the country’s 50th anniversary of independence, celebrated on the 11th of this month, and with the country’s rotating presidency of the African Union, aims to strengthen the 25 years of cooperation between the two blocs.
In addition to economic communities and regional mechanisms from both continents, the event will be attended by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and representatives of subsidiary UN bodies.
Alongside the summit, the AU-EU Business Forum is scheduled to take place and, for the first time in the history of the event, the Forum on Youth and Civil Society, which started and closes on Friday.
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