Frendo urges EU to engage Commonwealth in Africa strategy

Foreign Minister Michael Frendo has urged the European Union to take up the Commonwealth's offer to engage in the implementation of the EU's strategy for Africa particularly with regard to the issue of governance.

Dr Frendo was attending various European Council meetings in Luxembourg for ministers of external trade, of development and of foreign affairs.

He said the Commonwealth's extensive organisational experience in the sphere of good governance is coupled with a high level of acceptance and respect in this field that it enjoys among its members.

Malta is at present chair-in-office of the Commonwealth.

Speaking in a debate on the EU strategy for Africa, Dr Frendo said Malta strongly supports this strategy which it sees as a pillar of the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

"EU foreign policy must have as a strategic objective a stable, well governed, economically healthy Africa," he said.

He said that besides the long historic and political ties, illegal immigration, to take one example, has shown how the EU's strategic interests are intimately tied not only with the Euro-Med region but with Africa as a whole.

Dr Frendo supported the EU's recent engagement with the African Union, the EU's Support Programme for the AU and its structures and emphasised that the EU-African Union Conference on Migration and Development to be held in Tripoli in November should be another milestone in the strengthening of this relationship.

The European foreign ministers also debated the situation in Zimbabwe following the request made last May by Dr Frendo.

He said he asked for this debate because the EU should keep in view the plight of the Zimbabwean people who are suffering and are living in very difficult conditions.

He urged the EU to find ways of increasing assistance to the civil society and to the people of Zimbabwe, even if relations between the EU and the government of Zimbabwe are currently at a stalemate.

Dr Frendo also participated in the meeting and working dinner of development ministers with the participation of EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel.

He said he supported the policy to incentivise those countries in Africa that improve their quality of governance to include respect for human rights and the rule of law including honouring their international obligations.

On the margins of the EU foreign ministers meeting Dr Frendo also held a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.