Kazakhstan becomes an Observer in the African Union

19:18, 15 November 2013

ASTANA. November 15. KAZINFORM - Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) has held a meeting of Ms. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the Chairman of the African Union (AU), and Berik Aryn, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Egypt, during which Aryn was handed a letter saying that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Idrissov has been appointed as Permanent Representative the Republic of Kazakhstan to the African Union, the press service of the MFA reports.

According to the regulations of the AU, having accredited the Ambassador, Kazakhstan has been granted the status of observer in that authoritative international organization. The appropriate petition was referred to the AU Commission in May 2013.

Today, the organization brings together 54 countries of the continent. Historically the African Union is the successor of the Organization of African Unity founded in May 1963 which was renamed the African Union on July 9, 2002. More than 70 countries and international organizations have observer status at the AU including Russia, the US, China, Japan, the European Union, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Committee of the Red Cross and many others.

Observer status in this powerful and effective regional institution will provide new opportunities for Kazakhstan for the development of mutually beneficial economic and trade relations with African states and expand promotion of Kazakhstan's foreign policy initiatives in the international arena.

The headquarters of the AU held a round table of Aryn, the Deputy Chairman Erastus Mvencha and the Secretary General of the African Union Commission Jean Mfasoni as well as other members of senior management of the African Union.

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