FM participates in AU ministerial meeting

Khartoum, Dec. 3 (SUNA) - Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Omer Gammer-Eddin participated yesterday in the virtual meeting of the Executive Council of the foreign ministers of the member states of the African Union (AU), as part of preparations for the two special summits on the African free trade area and the Silencing of the Guns, which are scheduled to be held virtually on December 5-6, 2020, in Johannesburg. The Minister presented Sudan's statement at the Executive Council meeting, where he praised at the outset the efforts made by the AU to realize the dream of the African continent to liberalize trade, explaining that Sudan aspires this would pave the way for flourishing of trade in the African continent and the exchange of benefits among member states, to ensure the achievement of the African goals related to Agenda 2063. The Minister affirmed Sudan's commitment to all the legal instruments of the African Union regarding the continental free zone, noting that Sudan is one of the first countries that supported and signed the agreement in 2017. He commended the steps achieved during the African Trade Ministers' meetings, which were held recently in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, regarding the establishment of the continental free zone, stressing the importance of taking into account the conditions and concerns of some member states, including Sudan, which need some time to arrange their internal conditions to meet the requirements of trade liberalization. BT/BT