State Secretary Rajala to attend meeting of EU and African Union foreign ministers in Brussels

A meeting between EU and African Union (AU) foreign ministers will be held in Brussels on 21 May. State Secretary Pasi Rajala will represent Finland at the meeting. This year marks the 25th anniversary of multilateral relations between the EU and the African Union.

The foreign ministers’ meeting will take stock of progress made in implementing the commitments agreed at the EU-AU Summit of 2022 and strengthen the EU’s partnership with the member states of the African Union. Finland will promote strong partnerships between European and African countries on the basis of mutual benefit and respect. The meeting will discuss topics ranging from peace and security to trade and investment and multilateral cooperation.

More than 30 African foreign ministers are expected to attend the meeting. The meeting will be co-chaired by Kaja Kallas, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Tete António, the Minister of External Relations of Angola, which currently holds the presidency of the African Union.

Similar meetings at the level of foreign ministers and heads of state are held regularly. EU and African foreign ministers last met in Rwanda in October 2021. A heads of state meeting between the EU and African countries was held in Brussels in February 2022.