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German chancellor wants African Union in G20

Olaf Scholz said respect for the continent demands that it has a say as a key partner

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed support for the African Union (AU) having a seat at the G20 as a sign of “respect for the continent and its many states.”

Scholz, who arrived in Ethiopia on Thursday to begin a three-day trip to East Africa, stressed the significance of collaboration in addressing global issues and acknowledged the African Union as a “central partner.

The African Union is an important peacemaker and our central partner in Africa. We are united in the fight for security, against climate change and hunger,” he tweeted on Thursday, emphasizing the need for the AU to be “more involved” in the G20 group of nations.

Of the 55 states of the AU, South Africa is the only member of the G2O group of large economies. Last December, US President Joe Biden advocated for the AU having permanent membership, following a similar call by French President Emmanuel Macron a month earlier as part of efforts to strengthen ties with the continent.

The German chancellor told AU chairperson Moussa Faki in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, that integrating African nations into the G20 will ensure that they “can participate and have a say.

He added that Germany is committed to advancing peace and security in Africa.

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That is why we have been addressing the various difficult security issues in different regions of Africa,” he said, as reported by Africanews. Scholz also provided assurances of Berlin’s support for a “peaceful resolution” of the Sudan conflict, which, according to the Health Ministry in Khartoum, has killed 550 people and wounded 4,926 as of Monday.

The chancellor urged Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the regional government to “continue working for a lasting peace and to deal with war crimes” in the Tigray region, which experienced a two-year armed conflict that ended with a peace agreement signed last November.

Scholz’s visit to Africa, his second since taking the chancellorship, aims to emphasize Germany’s role as a reliable partner as Chinese influence also grows in the region, Deutsche Welle reported. He is currently in Kenya, where he will reportedly discuss green energy, as well as the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

May 05, 2023 at 06:43PM
RT

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