On her return from the Central African Republic, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, took stock, on Monday 15 July in Brussels, with European Foreign Ministers on her talks with CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, whom she met in Bangui on 12 July.
The two interlocutors had expressed their concerns about the persistent challenges and violations by some armed groups of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement signed on 6 February between the Central African authorities and the 14 main armed groups. Ms Mogherini had stressed the need for the signatory parties to respect their commitment and, in particular, to accelerate the implementation of the agreement on demobilisation, disarmament, reintegration of combatants and transitional justice.
"I proposed the ministers to increase the cooperation with the country at a critical moment for the implementation of the Peace Agreement. We will come back with concrete proposals, especially on our work with our mission, that is training the militaries, and also with the possibility of developing a police component for that", she said (see EUROPE 12295/13).
In Bangui, Ms Mogherini and President Touadéra reviewed cooperation between the EU and CAR, a partner country for which the EU mobilises all its political, security, humanitarian and development cooperation instruments.
"The EU's priorities are aligned with those of the government: meeting people's expectations, particularly in terms of security, justice-reconciliation, development, governance/rule of law, humanitarian aid", stressed a statement issued by the European External Action Service from Bangui on the evening of 12 July.
The High Representative had informed President Touadéra of the planned strengthening of the EU's action in the country by extending its Bêkou Trust Fund for, inter alia, health, agriculture and rural development (see EUROPE 12204/41) and by considering a possible civilian mission to support the Central African internal security forces. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)