No: 37, 28 January 2015

Turkey, observer member of the African Union since 2005 and its strategic partner since 2008, pays special attention to participate at high level in the AU Summit meetings which are held in January and June every year and where African affairs are discussed.

The 24th of the Summit meetings will be held on 30-31 January 2015 in Addis Ababa and provide an opportunity for closely reviewing the developments in Africa and for bilateral talks with the leaders of the African countries. A delegation headed by Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will participate in the Summit which will have the theme of "Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa's Agenda 2063”.

Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu is expected to attend the opening session of the Summit and exchange views with his counterparts, particularly the officials of African Union on bilateral and regional issues. The Summit will also give the opportunity to discuss the outcomes of the Second Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit held in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on 19-21 November 2014 with the African partners.

As confirmed in the documents adopted in the Second Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, Turkey will continue to further develop its relations with the African Union within the context of its increasingly deepening partnership, and contribute to the efforts for integration and development of the Continent as well as the solution of problems encountered by the Continent.