ADDIS-ABABA – The Algerian Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, National Community Abroad and African Affairs, Ahmed Attaf, has affirmed that Algeria’s candidature for the post of Vice-Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission stems from a strong determination to serve the Union with seriousness and commitment.
Speaking at the ceremony organized on the occasion of the official launch of the campaign for Algeria’s candidacy to the post of Vice-Chairperson of the AU Commission, Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi, on the sidelines of an official visit to Ethiopia, in his capacity as Special Envoy of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Attaf said that “Algeria’s candidature is neither a vain quest for prestige nor a useless search for influence, as is neither driven by a thirst for laurels nor a sudden search or eagerness to score political points.”
“Algeria’s candidature comes out of a strong belief that it is timely, and that it is adapted to the new continental environment with its challenges and promises. It comes out of a deep inner sense of an African duty that we are keen to fulfill with all African men and women of commitment, faith, loyalty and goodwill,” stressed Attaf.
“Let me also convey to all of you the warm wishes and greetings of President Abdelmadjid Tebboune who attaches great importance to your work and to the role of our Continental Organization, the African Union. Together with his fellow African Heads of State and Government, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is very keen about the future of our Organization and deeply committed to bringing in Algeria’s fair share to promote our collective agenda for peace, stability and shared prosperity,” stressed the State minister.
“In two months from now, Member States of our Organization will have the opportunity to elect a new leadership of the African Union’s Commission. This operation may seem as an ordinary task or a business-as-usual undertaking. After all, we have gone through the same exercise at least five times since the transition from the OUA to the AU, and no less that fifteen times since the creation of the OUA back in 1963,” he continued.
“Notwithstanding this track record, we firmly believe that the upcoming elections are anything but ordinary. They are not ordinary elections, because times we are living in are not ordinary times. They are times of deep crisis, times of profound turmoil and, most clearly, times of great uncertainty worldwide,” stressed Algeria’s top diplomat.
“Clearly, the world is in dire need of a great deal of political wisdom and strategic foresight; two values that have constantly hallmarked the African family. Our continental Organization, the African Union, is therefore expected to play a prominent role in tackling this unfortunate world state of affairs, while advocating for the norms and principles that make up the solid foundation of the contemporary international system. The strong voice of our Organization is badly needed. Its active involvement is urgently,” underlined Attaf.
“Bearing this in mind and driven by its longstanding and never-denied commitment to the African Unity, the Algerian Government has decided to officially submit the candidacy of one of its most panafricanist and distinctly qualified daughters to the position of Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), in the person of Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi,” he said.
Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and to the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Madam Haddadi is a lawyer and a seasoned diplomat. She is a sister and a colleague of yours, whom you perfectly know, both in the Permanent Representatives’ Committee and in the AU Commission. Her significant and rich experience in African and international affairs, is evidenced throughout her conclusive and impactful tenures in various positions she held both in Algeria as Director General for African Affairs, and in various diplomatic missions in Africa, including in Kenya and here in Addis-Ababa, as well as in other multilateral diplomatic stations, such as Geneva,” affirmed the same official.
“As she has ably done it in the previous positions she held, be assured that, if elected, Ambassador Selma Malika Haddadi will spare no efforts to ensure that our Continental organization’s secretariat meets the highest standards of management in terms of human capital and financial resources. With your confidence and support, she will bring to the AU Commission the required energy, the needed dynamism and the desired efficiency for a healthier management to unleash the full potential of the Africa we want and the Africa we cherish,” said Attaf.
