By: UKOM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in the second AU-EU ministerial meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting was of particular importance as it set the stage for the 6th AU-EU Summit scheduled to be held in 2022. “Slovenia as the country holding the Presidency of the Council of the EU fully supports our common aspiration for a stronger partnership between the African Union and the European Union. A partnership with a shared long-term vision and with strong day-to-day cooperation,” Minister Logar said in his address.
He went on to call for enhanced cooperation between the African and European Unions in multilateralism, digital transformation and sustainable water management. In the discussion, ministers sought to identify the most important joint priorities, challenges and opportunities for collaboration, focusing on investments in the digital and green transitions, people, global peace, security, governance and post-COVID-19 recovery. The ministers adopted a joint declaration. (link)
Minister Logar advocated an ambitious vision of the Africa-EU Partnership and suggested regular and structured dialogue on multilateral affairs between the two Unions. Cooperation in digital transition must include enhanced resilience to the effects of digitalisation and respect for human rights. He also drew attention to the endeavours of the Slovenian Council Presidency for designing a comprehensive approach to water in the EU’s external action. By donating vaccines, medical equipment and funds, Slovenia is helping to mitigate the ramifications of COVID-19 in Africa and ranks at the very top of donor states per capita.
Together with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell, Minister Logar attended the closing event of the project focusing on the psychosocial recovery from genocide. He also met with President of Interpeace Scott Weber to discuss the situation in the African Great Lakes region.
The day before the ministerial meeting, he visited the Saint Vincent de Paul School financially supported by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry and Caritas Slovenia. At the end of the meeting, he paid his respects at the Kigali Genocide Memorial and laid a wreath in memory of the victims of the Rwandan genocide.
The AU-EU ministerial meeting also led to the publication of an op-ed by the foreign ministers of Slovenia, Germany, Portugal and France on the partnership between the European and African Unions.