An official Kazakh delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yerzhan Ashikbayev (pictured below), took part as an observer country in the 26th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa between 27th – 31st January 2016.

The event focussed on issues of sustainable development in Africa and the realization of the African Union Agenda 2063, with Summit participants discussing economic and investment cooperation on the African continent, the provision of regional security, promotion of human rights and migration policy. The Kazakh delegation, together with UNDP, organized a Special Event attended by Foreign Ministers of African countries and heads of international organizations.

Deputy Minister Ashikbayev informed the guests of recent achievements by Kazakhstan, and its contribution to the implementation of SDG and the South – South Global Cooperation program. The initiatives of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, raised during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, were discussed, as were Kazakhstan’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2017 – 2018, and the upcoming EXPO 2017 event in Astana.

Similar issues were raised during Minister Ashikbayev’s interview with the EFE news agency during the Summit and in an op-ed article by Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov, published in Addis Fortune prior to the event, entitled “From Kazakhstan to Africa”.