Brussels, 07/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - The EU welcomes the peaceful outcome of the second round of presidential elections on 7 November in the Republic of Guinea, confirming this country's progress towards democracy and rule of law. In a joint statement published on 6 December, Catherine Ashton, EU Foreign Policy Chief, and Andris Piebalgs, European Development Commissioner, say: “We congratulate the work of all those who have contributed to this peaceful outcome, especially the two candidates, for their respect of republican institutions and for their reciprocal messages of openness and calls of appeasement towards their supporters” and “encourage the new President Alpha Condé to seek inclusive solutions in Guinea's recovery so as to strengthen the democratic gains Guinea has obtained. The timely organisation of legislative and local elections is another stepping stone for Guinea's recovery and development in line with the engagements taken in the consultations with the EU. The EU remains ready to support the new authorities in their work towards Guinea's further democratisation and development”.