Wednesday, 20 November 2013
KUWAIT (TAP Special correspondent Bacem Badri) - Works of the 3rd African Arab Summit held from November 19 to 20 in Kuwait City by the Arab League and the Delegation of the African Union, ended on Wednesday.
Participants adopted the "Kuwait Declaration," calling for fostering co-operation between Arab and African countries. "
Arab and African countries that took part in the Summit pledge to strengthen co-operation between the two sides on the basis of a strategic partnership aimed to preserve justice, peace and security."
Under the Kuwait Declaration, signatories will work to enhance South/South co-operation and step up co-operation between governments and peoples of the regions by intensifying visits and co-ordination at all levels.
The document stressed the importance of exerting more efforts to develop financial policies likely to ensure the sustainability of economic growth.
The desired goal is to strengthen programmes of fight against poverty, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post-2015 development programmes.
During the summit works held under the theme of "partners in development and investment," Arab and African leaders discussed a set of regional issues, including the Palestinian issue and the Syrian crisis.
In his Wednesday's speech, Caretaker President Moncef Marzouki highlighted the Arab countries' willingness to strengthen their co-operation with African countries.
Arab countries will commit to implement the recommendations of the Kuwait Summit, stressed Marzouki, praising the initiative of the State of Kuwait to grant African countries in the next five years easy access credits worth 1 billion dollars.
Speaking on behalf of the group of Arab countries, Marzouki stressed the efforts made by the Arab League and the African Union to boost co-operation between countries of the two regions and lay down the foundations of an area of prosperity, security and dignity for all.
The President of the Republic also underlined the need to implement the recommendations of the Summit which will help enhance the sovereignty and prosperity of Arab and African countries.
On the sidelines of the Arab-Africa Summit, Marzouki, who will leave Kuwait City Wednesday nigh, conferred with the Emir of the State of Kuwait, the Emir of Qatar and the Presidents of Gabon, Sudan, Niger and Mauritania.
The Caretaker President also met with the Moroccan Prime Minister, the President of Libya's National Assembly, the President of the Algerian People's Assembly and the Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2013
