CAIRO – During his meeting with Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssef on the sidelines of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Saturday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed the deployment of Egyptian forces to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

Abdelatty stressed the importance of the ongoing efforts with international partners to secure sufficient and sustainable funding for the mission, enabling it to carry out its tasks. 

He also affirmed Egypt’s unwavering support for the security, stability, unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Sudan, and emphasized the need to intensify continental and international efforts to preserve and support Sudanese national institutions.

Minister Abdelatty further underlined Egypt’s full support for the African Union’s efforts to resolve conflicts and achieve comprehensive development in the continent, in accordance with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This is in addition to supporting institutional reform efforts. 

Moreover, Abdelatty highlighted the importance of developing a shared African vision that enhances the continent’s ability to achieve tangible progress on the path of continental integration. 

He also commended the ongoing cooperation between Egypt and the Commission, most recently on the fifth edition of the Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development and the retreat of the Chairperson’s representatives and envoys in Aswan last month. 

Minister Abdelatty stressed the necessity of adopting a comprehensive approach that extends beyond security to include development, intellectual, and capacity-building dimensions to support countries in the Sahel region. He emphasized the African Union’s need to continue supporting countries in conflict zones and to outline steps for the reinstatement of member states to the African Union as soon as possible. 

The Foreign Minister concluded the meeting by confirming Egypt’s keenness to actively participate in African development efforts, particularly given the President’s chairmanship of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Steering Committee and his leadership in post-conflict reconstruction and development. 

Abdelatty highlighted the pivotal role of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding, one of the African Union’s centers of excellence, in implementing programs that promote peace, security and stability, and achieve developmen. He also commended the role of the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development, hosted by Cairo.

Source: Egypt today