Egypt demands fair representation of North Africa in AU Peace and Security Council

CAIRO - 19 February 2023: Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shokry demanded Sunday the amendment of the current formation of the Peace and Security Council in order to achieve a fair representation of North Africa, as reported by Al Ahram newspaper.

The minister noted, "it is not acceptable that we advocate for the principles of fair representation at the United Nations Security Council while we lack them here in our council."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a press statement indicating that Minister Shokry delivered a speech on behalf of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi at an AU Peace and Security Council session convened in Addis Ababa.

The minister underlined "the current regional and international circumstances that require cooperation to confront the existing security challenges, especially as they are becoming more complex, which mandates more effective methods."

The speech suggested that the top priorities for joint African work on the front of peace and security should be "the containment of conflicts in Africa; devising permanent solutions to these conflicts; alignment of solutions with the principles of justice and peoples' best interest; and, honest implementation of such solutions."

The minister also stipulated the importance that parties involved in conflict abide by the principle of African solutions to African problems. He added that there had been a pressing need to adopt a comprehensive approach when handling security threats on the continent.

Minister Shokry stressed the salience of tackling the root causes of such threats, and working on eliminating their economic and social reasons. He pointed out that such framework is a pillar of Egypt's vision on reconstruction and development.

"As for the convenience of kick starting a positive approach towards African countries experiencing political transition, Egypt's statement highlighted the progress achieved by Sudan to reinstate stability and end the transitional period. That is in addition to the need for providing support to Libyans to hold parliamentary and presidential elections under the umbrella of an impartial executive authority, which would restore Libya's sovereignty and stability," the press statement read.