Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to travel late Friday to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to participate in African Union (AU) institutional reform meetings on Saturday, an official statement from the foreign ministry said. Egypt is keen on the speedy implementation of institutional reform proposals for the AU, and to achieve consensus on the course of the reform process among member states, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in the statement issued friday. Abu Zeid explained that the meetings come at a crucial time since Egypt will chair the AU next year. In January 2018, Egypt was elected by African leaders in Addis Ababa to head the union's upcoming 31st session in 2019. The AU agreed in January 2018 on the need for more consultations and discussions to deepen the consensus between its members by expanding the membership of the current Reform Troika and establishing a 15-member committee of foreign ministers to provide advice. The meeting of the 15-member FMs committee will discuss implementing institutional and financial reform as well as the division of labor between the AU and regional economic blocs.
