ALGIERS – Tuesday, 17 October 2023 (APS) – The work of the 20th session of the African-Nordic Foreign Ministers’ Meeting opens in Algiers kicked off Tuesday in Algiers, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ahmed Attaf.
Held for the first time in Algeria since it was launched in 2001 at the initiative of the late Anna Lindh, former Swedish Foreign Minister, the meeting is themed “Africa-Nordic countries: Strengthening Dialogue on the Basis of Shared Values”.
Thirty countries are taking part in this two-day session, including the five Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland) and a large number of African countries representing the different regions of the continent.
A wide range of activities are on the agenda, including three conferences. The first will address the theme of peace, security and the promotion of dialogue to resolve conflicts, while the second will be devoted to the economic partnership between Africa and the countries of Northern Europe.
The third conference will focus on boosting multilateral cooperation between the two groups within international organizations, chief among them the United Nations.
This conference is taking place against a delicate international and regional backdrop, marked by a wave of crises and tensions that are shaking and weakening countries, particularly in Africa, and specifically in Algeria’s close Sahel neighbourhood, leading to the spread of poverty, famine and precariousness, as well as the scourge of terrorism and organized crime groups.