German Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle and Federal Development Minister Niebel travel to Africa


Reading time 2 min.
German Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle and Federal Development Minister Niebel travel to Africa

Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Federal Development Minister Dirk Niebel will be visiting Tanzania, South Africa and Djibouti from 7 to 11 April.

In Tanzania, the Ministers will meet with President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Foreign Minister Bernard Membe and Finance Minister Mustafa Mkulo. The two men will also have talks with the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Charles Byron, and officially open the Goethe-Institut in Dar es Salaam. Tanzania is traditionally one of Germany’s close partners in Africa and one of the focuses of its development cooperation.

In South Africa, the Binational Commission will be chaired by Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle and the Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Motlanthe. These intergovernmental consultations take place alternately in South Africa and Germany. Afterwards, the Ministers will meet with the Foreign Minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, as well as South Africa’s Energy Minister, Dipuo Peters, before attending a reception hosted by the German Chamber of Commerce in Johannesburg in the evening. While in South Africa, the Ministers will also travel to Cape Town. There they will visit a violence prevention project in Khayelitsha Township which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The two Ministers will then head to Robben Island to take part in a discussion with ANC veterans, constitutional court judges and human rights activists. As an African emerging economy, South Africa is a key partner in foreign policy, economic and development issues and is hosting the first FIFA World Cup to take place on the African continent in June/July 2010.

On Sunday, the two Ministers will travel on to Djibouti, the last leg of their trip, where they will meet President Ismail Omar Guelleh and the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Djibouti, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. The Federal Foreign Minister will conclude his trip by visiting the Bundeswehr liaison and support group for Operations Enduring Freedom and Atalanta, while the Federal Development Minister will meet with Mahboub Maalim, the Executive Secretary of the regional organization Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

The Ministers will be accompanied by a business and cultural delegation, as well as development cooperation representatives. Their joint trip is intended to underscore the close cooperation between the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Foreign Office, which is aimed at ensuring a coordinated approach to foreign and development policy.

Source: Germany – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

South africa  Read latest news and features from South africa : business, politics, culture, life & style, entertainment and sports
Support Follow Afrik-News on Google News