Brussels, 07/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - Somalia's request to sign up to the Cotonou Agreement was accepted, on Friday 7 June, by the ministers of ACP states (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) and their EU partners meeting in Brussels at the ACP-EU Council. During two decades of civil war, Somalia, an ACP country, remained on the sidelines of the development partnership agreement that links the European Union to 79 ACP states.
Describing this new result as the most important of the ACP-EU Council meeting, the Irish minister for trade and development, Joe Costello, said Somalia is now back within the community of nations. He expressed delight that Somalia can be welcomed as a member of the ACP-EU partnership and said a key step has now been taken towards this.
Phandu T. C. Skelemani, the Botswana foreign and international cooperation minister and president-in-office of the ACP Council, said: “This is a big day to celebrate with Somalia's admission - a country that has suffered but which has managed to set the necessary structures in place for governing a country. Somalia will greatly benefit from the resources of the 11th EDF. I am pleased it is joining us” (our translation).
The ambassador of Somalia to the EU expressed gratitude to both parties, saying: “After 22 years of war, Somali is back in the ACP-EU family as a full member. This accession opens up new opportunities for improving the life of the Somali people”. Technically, the Somali authorities must still submit their accession instrument for joining the Cotonou Agreement to the EU Council and to the ACP Group secretariat so that their country is able to formally sign up to the agreement. South Sudan, whose accession has been formally accepted by the EU and by the ACP, has not yet done this and so it is not yet, officially, the 80th ACP state. (AN/transl.jl)