Ambassador Ashiru leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 4th Nigeria - European Union, and the 19th EU-ECOWAS political dialogue ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium, May 16th, 2013
THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AMBASSADOR OLUGBENGA AYODEJI ASHIRU, MFR, IS LEADING THE NIGERIAN DELEGATION TO THE FOURTH NIGERIA-EUROPEAN UNION AND THE 19TH EU-ECOWAS POLITICAL DIALOGUE MINISTERIAL MEETING IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, MAY 16TH, 2013.
AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE NIGERIA-EUROPEAN UNION MEETING WILL REVIEW POLITICAL DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION AS CONTAINED IN THE “NIGERIA-EU JOINT WAY FORWARD”. THE DIALOGUE WOULD COVER BILATERAL ISSUES OF PEACE AND SECURITY; DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS; MIGRATION AND MOBILITY; TRADE AND INVESTMENTS; ENERGY AND MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.
THE ECOWAS-EU CONSULTATION MEETING WILL, ON THE OTHER HAND, COVER INTERNATIONAL ISSUES, REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY, THE BIENNIAL ECOWAS-EU MEETING WILL ALSO REVIEW THE POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENTS IN ECOWAS AND THE EU; REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY IN WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHEL INCLUDING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE EVOLVING ECOWAS ARCHITECTURE IN THIS SPHERE; GOOD GOVERNANCE, THE RULE OF LAW AND CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY IN WEST AFRICA; REGIONAL CHALLENGES AND INITIATIVES AS WELL AS INTEGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN WEST AFRICA.
AMBASSADOR ASHIRU IS SCHEDULED TO MAKE A PRESENTATION AT THE MEETING IN WHICH HE WOULD APPRISE THE EU ON CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN NIGERIA, INCLUDING THE EFFORTS OF GOVERNMENT AT TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF TERRORISM AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA, WHICH WILL PROMOTE RAPID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS THE BEDROCK FOR NIGERIA'S CONTINUED LEADERSHIP ROLE IN WEST AFRICA.
THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS WILL ALSO PRESENT NIGERIA'S PERSPECTIVE ON REGIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY, ESPECIALLY THE SITUATION IN MALI, GUINEA BISSAU, GUINEA CONAKRY AND TOGO AS WELL AS OTHER REGIONAL INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE POST-2015 MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT AGENDA.
IT WILL BE RECALLED THAT THE NIGERIA-EU AND THE EU-ECOWAS NEGOTIATION PROCESSES HAVE BECOME A MULTILATERAL FORA BETWEEN NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR THE REVIEW AND PROMOTION OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AND CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN NIGERIA, ECOWAS AND THE EUROPEAN UNION.
OGBOLE AMEDU ODE
SPOKESPERSON
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ABUJA
14TH MAY 2013.