Salehi Leaves For Ethiopia

Tehran, Jan 27, IRNA – Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi leading a political delegation left Tehran on Saturday for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to attend the 20th African Union Summit on January 27-28. Salehi is to represent the Islamic Republic of Iran as an observer member to the AU Summit. Salehi will confer with African heads of state and senior officials on issues of mutual interests as well as regional and global developments. Salehi is to define Iranˈs stand about the regional and global developments and with African continent, in particular. Leaders of the 54-nation AU and representatives of international organizations and observer nations will attend the Summit. Salehi will take part in the AU Summit at the invitation of Head of the AU Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The African Union, as the most important regional organization in Africa, annually holds two regular meetings in January and June at leaders level. The AU January Summit is held at its headquarters in Addis Ababa every year, while the annual June Summit is held in a member state. The AU Summit reviews the most important African issues as well as global developments. Deepening relations with African states is a priority of Iranˈs foreign policy./end