Tunisian Foreign Minister Engages in High-Level Bilateral Talks on the Sidelines of the 48th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council
The Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, has initiated a series of high-level bilateral talks on the margins of the 48th ordinary session of the African Union Executive Council, held on February 11 and 12 in the Ethiopian capital. Through this participation, Tunisia reaffirms its commitment to common African action, peace, and economic integration on the continent.
Leading the Tunisian delegation, the minister met with several officials from the African Union Commission, as well as his African counterparts, in a context marked by the examination of strategic files and the election of members of the African Union Peace and Security Council.
During a meeting with Selma Haddadi, Vice-President of the African Union Commission, discussions focused on the level of cooperation between Tunisia and the pan-African organization, as well as on the commitment of President Kais Saied to strengthen Tunisian participation in development programs and initiatives related to the consolidation of peace and security. The two parties also addressed Tunisia's contribution to the institutional reform process of the Union, as part of its participation in the presidential committee responsible for overseeing this project.
The situation of African institutions based in Tunisia was also examined, particularly the efforts made to provide them with adequate working conditions and necessary resources so that they can fully contribute to African economic integration.
The minister also met with Adeoye Bankoley, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security. He reiterated Tunisia's commitment to supporting stabilization efforts on the continent, recalling Tunisia's positions on security developments in several regions of Africa. He also outlined the foundations of the Tunisian approach to irregular migration, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive treatment that takes into account the security, economic, and human dimensions of the phenomenon.
With Francesca Belobe, Commissioner for Economic Development, Tourism, Industry, and Mines, exchanges focused on strengthening African economic integration mechanisms and the importance of mobilizing funding for structuring and concrete projects for the benefit of the continent's peoples.
Mohamed Ali Nafti also met with Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), to follow up on her visit to Tunisia in 2025 and assess the progress of joint projects.
As part of the coordination around the issues on the agenda of the Executive Council and the mobilization of support for certain Tunisian candidatures, the minister held meetings with several of his counterparts, including Ahmed Attaf, Minister of State and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria. The two officials examined the main files submitted to the Council and reaffirmed their willingness to continue implementing the conclusions of the 23rd session of the Tunisian-Algerian Joint Commission, in order to raise the bilateral partnership to the level of expectations of the two peoples.
Talks also took place with the foreign ministers of Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, Togo, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Zambia, focusing on strengthening bilateral cooperation and preparing for upcoming events.
The first day of this session of the Executive Council was marked by the adoption of several reports and the organization of elections to fill seats on the African Union Peace and Security Council, as well as in certain specialized commissions of the organization.
