Egypt is hoping that their relationship with other African nations can continue to improve, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said ahead of the opening of the African Union (AU) summit to be hosted by the country in Sharm El Sheikh.
Gheit said his government would boost inter-African relations. “Africa has always been a focus of the Egyptian foreign policy,” the minister said in remarks carried by Egypt’s official news agency MENA, adding that African countries are a “natural extension of Egypt’s national security.”
The AU summit, to be held from 24 to 30 June will concentrate on the current international food crisis, issues of water and health care status in African nations.
Climate change, desertification and the decrease in crop productivity across the continent will also top the agenda of the African leaders’ summit.
The theme of the conference is “meeting the millennium development goals on water and sanitation” and it will take an in depth look at how these issues can be solved.
As always, security and political discussions will take place among leaders of the continent who feel the two issues are key to the stability and achievement of other goals, Gheit said. Panapress .
