Brussels, 01/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the African Union summit (Addis Abeba on 30-31 January), which he was attending as an observer, European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs met Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and member of his government on Monday. Their discussions focused on the issue of EU support for the Ethiopian government's five-year growth and transformation strategy. The commissioner signed a €13.7 million financing agreement for a project to tackle climate change in Ethiopia. Piebalgs was also due to meet Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission, and Ramtane Lamamra, AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, and attended a meeting to discuss the situation on Somalia, chaired by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. (A.N./transl.rt)