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Minister of State Annen in North Africa
Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen will set off on a trip to North Africa today (16 October), with stops in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.
In Algeria, he will hold political consultations with government officials and will meet with representatives of civil society. His agenda also includes a visit to a German-Algerian cultural project and a meeting with German intermediary organisations.
His visit to Tunisia will primarily focus on recent political developments and the economic challenges the country is currently facing. Here, too, Minister of State Annen will hold talks with government representatives, the country’s political parties and members of civil society. A meeting with project partners of the Federal Foreign Office’s Ta’ziz Partnership is also planned.
In Libya, Minister of State Annen will participate in an international conference in Tripoli that is being hosted by Libyan Foreign Minister Mangoush. The focus of the conference will be on preparations for the upcoming elections, the necessary security sector reform and the indispensable withdrawal of all foreign fighters.
Before leaving for North Africa, the Minister of State issued the following statement:
The stability of North Africa, its economic development and the political participation of its population are all of central importance to Germany and the European Union. We therefore hold political talks with the respective governments and representatives of civil society on a regular basis, in order to actively support these processes. By hosting the Libya Stabilization Conference in Tripoli, the country is demonstrating that it is taking its fate into its own hands again. This is something we expressly support; moreover, we strongly urge that foreign fighters be withdrawn from the country and that the national elections be held as scheduled.