ADDIS ABABA, July 20, (Xinhua/GNA) — African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, has welcomed the signing of a declaration of principles between the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the March 23 Movement (M23) on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, to end the conflict in the eastern DRC.
In a statement issued Saturday, Youssouf described the declaration as a “major milestone in the ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace, security, and stability in eastern DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.” Appreciating the invaluable contributions made by all stakeholders, including the regional facilitators from the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, Youssouf said the declaration offers a renewed hope for regional cooperation and sustainable peace.
The chairperson of the 55-member continental organization also commended the spirit of dialogue, compromise, and political will demonstrated by the governments of the DRC and Rwanda.
The AU remains fully committed to working with all stakeholders to support the successful implementation of the declaration and to contribute to sustainable peace, security, and development in the DRC and the region, the statement added.
GNA
LONDON, July 20, (Xinhua/GNA) — Standing in the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), draped in the national flags of both nations, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, on Thursday signed a wide-ranging bilateral agreement covering areas such as defense and migration.
The summit followed on the heels of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit last week. Together, these developments mark a quiet but significant revival of the trilateral group known as the E3, comprising the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, amid mounting global turbulence.
Originally formed as an ad hoc coalition focused on Iran’s nuclear program, the E3 is now re-emerging as a core pillar of European security diplomacy.
As British think tank Chatham House noted on Friday, the group is “back at the heart of European security.”
To many observers, this shift signals a new strategic direction under the Labour government, as Starmer seeks to stabilise and rebuild once-fractured ties between Britain and the European Union (EU) in the aftermath of Brexit.
GNA