PRESIDENT MR .ABDELMADJID TEBBOUNE at the African Union Summit. Addis Ababa – 09/02/ 2020
-Algeria’s commitment to Africa is rooted in origins and polished in history:
“I reaffirm Algeria’s deep and continuous adherence to the ideal values of our continental organization and to its principles and objectives; a commitment that finds its origins in the extent to which Algeria’s African dimension is deeply rooted, emanating from its geographical location and polished in its ancient history…
This ordinary summit of the African Union is taking place in a special circumstance for our continent, which is characterized by a number of multiple challenges such as terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and the multiplicity of hotbeds of tension and crises that have become excessively intense, which constitutes a real obstacle to the development of our countries and undermines our joint efforts to fight poverty, achieve social justice, and meet the aspirations of our people, their well-being and prosperity.
These challenges make our summit an opportunity to renew our commitment to work together to address them and to strive tirelessly to liberate Africa from conflicts and allow it to direct the efforts and energies of its people to serve development and move forward towards greater integration.
For this, I would like to acknowledge the right choice of the theme of our session, which is “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”, which is the goal that we set out seven years ago within the framework of a comprehensive strategic vision that is in line with Africa 2063 vision. ”
-Algeria’s contribution to establishing peace and security in the continent through peaceful solutions without foreign interference:
“Certainty, the solution to crises in our continent must be based on a peaceful solution, comprehensive dialogue and national reconciliation without any foreign interference. Based on this firm conviction, Algeria will always and relentlessly contribute to strengthening efforts aimed at achieving peace and security in Africa, as well as continue its support for initiatives aimed at resolving conflicts and defending the just causes of the people who struggle to regain their basic rights and exercise their right to self-determination; the most important of which is the Palestinian cause, whereby an independent state must be established on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Today, our world is facing unprecedented challenges, as if it is distancing itself from the parameters of international law and the multilateral frameworks that have illuminated the path of the international community and enabled it to maintain global peace and security. Because of its vulnerability, our continent is often exposed to the aftershocks of destabilizing shocks in the world.
The crisis in the Sahel is only an unfortunate and miserable example of this reality. The already fragile stability in countries such as Mali witnessed a sudden deterioration in the aftermath of the Libyan crisis, not to mention Niger, which also did not escape, as we know, from the attacks that targeted its army. With the escalation of bloody attacks by terrorists in Burkina Faso and some attempts in coastal countries, instability has engulfed the Sahel region despite the valiant efforts of the countries concerned. In the Lake Chad Basin, the countries of the region are confronting with equal courage and resilience the devastating actions of Boko Haram through the Joint Multinational Force.
Here, I would like to reaffirm Algeria’s solidarity with these sister countries affected by this barbaric and absurd violence. I also salute their efforts and sacrifices, as well as the support provided by friendly countries and other international partners. I also welcome the recent initiatives to develop counter-terrorism strategies in the Sahel, both at the military level and at the political, economic and diplomatic levels.
-Algeria’s efforts are continuing through various mechanisms
to achieve peace and stability for the continent:
Algeria has never ceased to make its multifaceted contribution to the efforts exerted to establish sustainable stability in Africa and in particular in the Sahel-Saharan region, whether at the bilateral level or through mechanisms such as the Joint Operational Staff Command Committee (CEMOC) or the Unit for Integration of Communications (UFL) established with other neighborhood countries or via the African Center for Studies on Terrorism (CAERT).
This contribution will be strengthened in the next few months, especially through the evaluation of the aforementioned mechanisms, as well as playing a greater role in the implementation of the Peace Agreement in Mali. Here, I would like to stress that we are fully determined to contribute to advancing the path of peace and national reconciliation in Mali and to lifting the obstacles that may hinder the implementation of the Peace Agreement emanating from the “Algeria track”.
“Algeria, which calls for an end to interference in Libya, strongly supports the ongoing efforts to permanently end the fighting there and to create conditions for dialogue between the Libyan brothers, which is the only way it can find a way out of the crisis so that this African country does not become a playground for rivalries between countries.”
-Effective contribution of the African Union to the construction
of a collective security system and African integration:
I would like to acknowledge the important achievements, as well as the effective contribution of the African Union to conflict resolution and peace-building at the continental and regional levels, and the construction of a collective security system through the establishment of institutional frameworks for peace and security mechanisms with the aim of advancing paths of peaceful settlement and ending crises.
I would also like to commend the important steps that our continent has made in the path of achieving African integration, especially through the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement, and the continuation of the implementation of projects aimed at regional integration and the strengthening of infrastructure within the New Partnership for Africa’s Development initiative.
In this regard, Algeria is proud of being one of the countries that have previously ratified the treaty establishing the continental free trade area, which confirms its firm belief in the concept of continental integration, in which it is firmly involved in its development path. Today, our countries must translate this commitment into reality, which is a broad and complex project that will require the participation of African leadership to sustain the momentum of this great initiative.”
-“Algerian Agency for International Cooperation for Solidarity and Development”:
A new dynamism in cooperation, especially towards the countries of Africa and the Sahel
“Algeria remains always ready to contribute to the promotion of regional integration and confirm the determination of our African continent to take care of its problems by itself and overcome its marginalization at the level of international relations and the global economy in order to control its destiny and grasp its development path in all its dimensions, and what importance does Algeria attach to structuring projects such as the Trans-Saharan road and fiber connectivity optical and gas pipeline linking Algeria and Nigeria, only conclusive evidence of its desire to turn regional integration into reality.
In this regard, I have decided to instil a new dynamism in Algeria’s international cooperation, especially towards its brother countries in Africa and the Sahel, and this political relation will be translated into concrete and immediate measures. From this perspective, I decided to create an Algerian Agency for International Cooperation for Solidarity and Development “ALDEC” with a confirmed African dimension. Its main mission is to embody our desire to enhance aid, assistance and solidarity with neighboring countries on the ground, especially the sister countries of the Sahel.
