HM the King Takes Part in Abidjan in 5th AU-EU Summit Opening Ceremony

PERSISMA, Abidjan – HM King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, took part, on Wednesday in Abidjan, in the opening ceremony of the 5th African Union-European Union Summit.

Speaking at the opening of this Summit, president of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara underlined the importance of this event which should be considered as a turning point in the AU-EU cooperation and partnership process, and a starting point for a strategic partnership between the two continents.

President of the Republic of Guinea, president of the AU heads of states and governments conference Alpha Condé lauded the participation of HM King Mohammed VI in the 5th AU-EU Summit, hailing the sovereign’s pan-African commitment.

On AU-EU cooperation, he underlined that, following the Brussels political declaration in April 2014 and despite the achieved results, “attaining the set objectives is compromised by many challenges linked to security, climate change and development financing.”

President of the European Council Donald Tusk called for a joint action and strategy to implement the provisions of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 agenda sustainable development goals.

Chairman of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, who lauded the return of Morocco to the African Union, stressed that the theme of this summit is in line with the AU’s annual theme which is “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend Through Investments in Youth”.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said that the Europe-Africa partnership witnessed a lot of progress and should be further reinforced via multi-sectoral cooperation that positively impacts sustainable development.

UNSG Antonio Guterres commended the choice of theme, saying that youth are the future and should be listened to and put at the centre of our actions and national and international programs.

President of the Pan-African parliament Roger Nkodo Dang and president of the European parliament highlighted the contribution that could be made by the two parliamentary unions to reinforce a win-win partnership between the AU and the EU.

On this occasion, HM the King posed for a photo with heads of states and governments and leaders of delegations taking part in the 5th AU-EU Summit.

HM the King is accompanied by an important delegation made up of HM the King’s advisor Fouad Ali El Himma and foreign minister Nasser Bourita.