Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Charles Michel, President of the European Union, said that the attraction that terrorists exert on young people must be prevented, especially in marginalized population groups, and this is the reason for the importance of social and economic development. work last Thursday
Five countries in West Africa - Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo - created the Accra Initiative in 2017 to cooperate against violent extremism in the region. Mali and Niger were accepted as observers before becoming members in 2019.
In his speech, of which we received a copy yesterday, Wednesday, via e-mail from the office of the President of the European Union in Brussels, Michel said that he considers the invitation to participate in the conference as a symbol of the strong partnership between the parties participating in the conference and the European Union, which is based on trust, mutual respect and friendship. Michel added, "For years we have been talking about the risk of contagion of the terrorist threat from the Sahel region to the coastal states. Today, this is no longer a risk. This is a fact. We share the same reading of the situation. The goals of the terrorists are known to us: a threat to the existence of your communities and countries. This situation requires a mobilization." A quick message from regional partners and from the entire international community. Because your fight against terrorism is our fight as well. Ghanaian President Michel addressed the conference chair, saying, "Mr. President, you have shown great leadership on these issues. I remember your words when you co-chaired the Round Table on Peace and Security in February of this This year, during the EU-AU summit in Brussels, you said the international community has an obligation to re-strategize and sustain efforts, or we could lose the gains we have made in effectively combating violent extremist activities. Together, we all need to determine the best way to quickly make an impact on the ground. We share your goal of focusing the Accra Initiative on processes rather than institutions - it is important to be tangible, tangible, efficient and practical.
The European Union believes in African solutions to African problems. We've said it for many years, and we've walked the talk on many fronts. This means, first, listening to your analysis and your goals, listening to your needs — the needs of the countries on the front line.
The European Union has been a major security partner in Africa, and we are constantly adapting and updating our tools. We have a long term engagement. Started in Somalia to support the African Union operation, with AMISOM. We have mobilized many tools in the Sahel over the past 10 years, and we are currently doing the same to counter the insurgency in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. We are the largest political and financial supporter of the African Peace and Security Architecture.
And from all of these experiences, we have created and drawn important lessons. Now the European Union has a dedicated instrument - the European Peace Facility - that enhances our military and defense capabilities. This includes lethal equipment for defensive purposes, which until recently was not legally possible. This is a revolution for the European Union. We also adapt our military and civilian training and advisory missions. We want them to be more flexible and more responsive.
The EU aims to be transparent and we don't have any hidden agenda. Our agenda is known: to provide permanent results. Because stability and prosperity on the African continent is good for the world and for Europe. Your ownership is our motto. We are ready to support you. For this, I believe we can deepen our political dialogue and agree together on the terms of our cooperation. This will help us show what we can do bilaterally and regionally to ensure there is coordination. It can also help us illustrate the integrated management of borders, the territorial spread of state and regional planning powers, and the economic development of landlocked areas. These should be - and should be - our common goals.
Ladies and gentlemen, this conference could, if you like, mark a turning point between the tactical moment and the political moment. Operational cooperation, including joint military operations, has already begun. This conference can be a privileged moment to hear from you carefully, and consider how best to help you achieve your operational goals. This is an opportunity to find the right balance between the regional and national dimensions, between security, politics, and social and economic issues. I believe there is an importance to working quickly and effectively. I believe that the European Union will be determined to provide strong support, without waiting for decisions to be taken at the African level, but it is certain that the decisions that it will take will have an impact on the ability of the European Union to mobilize more resources. tomorrow.
We don't start from scratch. We already provide great support. For the period 2021-2024, 135 million euros are planned for security and stability in the northern regions of the coastal states (Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin): border control, capacity strengthening in terms of intelligence, conflict prevention, infrastructure protection. This is an indication of an increase of more than 150% compared to the previous period.
Finally, I conclude. You know better than we do that risk factors aren't just strictly about safety issues. And you know the extremist groups model better than we do. We believe that the attraction that terrorists exert on young people, especially in marginalized population groups, must be prevented, which is why social and economic development is so important, especially in the northern regions. We must not allow these categories to fill the void, especially in the field of health, education or all other issues social. President Talon, who co-chaired the Roundtable on Migration, Mobility and Education at the Brussels Summit, pointed out that education is the cornerstone of resilient and peaceful societies and at this very moment the problems of development in coastal countries, for a period of 200 million euros, are embodied in the field of agriculture, energy or even environmental issues. We stand ready to work with you further on concrete and operational projects related to these shared priorities.
Finally, as you know more than we do, good governance is also a key factor for success, and good governance is a prerequisite for stability. President Nana emphasized this at the Brussels Summit. Above all, we must ensure that poisons are avoided. From the division that spreads in our societies, within our countries, or between us. And in this, there is a cause that must rally us, and that is the fight against disinformation, that is, the fight against media attacks aimed at sowing the poison of mistrust. We need unity more than ever, to unite together, to respect each other, it goes without saying. I conclude by paraphrasing US President John F. Kennedy: we do this not, he says, because it is easy, but precisely because it is not. The European Union would like to be a reliable and loyal partner that you can count on.