Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to fly to Nouakchott on Wednesday to participate in the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union. In an official statement released on Tuesday, Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the Egyptian participation in the summit and its preparatory meetings comes as part of a constant Egyptian commitment to react to the continent's issues, especially as Egypt prepares to chair the top summit in January 2019. The executive council meetings come a few days before the AU's 31st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government. The high-level assembly will be held under the theme “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa's Transformation,” a theme which was also adopted during the 30th ordinary session in Addis Ababa in January. Issues set to be discussed include corporate and financial reforms of the AU with an aim at raising the effectiveness of its institutions and different structures, as well as developments regarding the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the continent's regional integration. The session will also include ministerial-level discussions over the situation in South Sudan by the AU's Peace and Security Council. The situation in Sahel, as well as issues of security and immigration, will be on the table of discussions of the executive council ahead of the summit on 30 June. Shoukry will meet a number of his African counterparts to review bilateral ties, and coordinate positions over listed issues in the summit. Egypt has been aiming for stronger ties with its African neighbours in past years. In January, Egypt was elected by African leaders in Addis Ababa to head the African Union's 31st session in 2019.
