Addis Ababa: Iran is attending 20th summit of the African Union and Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Sunday to discuss Mali crises.
Salehi arrived at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on Saturday evening and was welcomed by officials from the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry and Iranian Ambassador Ali Bahraini. AU Commission Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma invited Salehi to attend the 20th AU summit, which is being held on January 27 and 28.
African leaders are meeting Sunday for talks likely to be dominated by the crisis in Mali where the French-led intervention against Islamist rebels is gaining strength.
Iran’s accession to the rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement is one of the issues that spotlight Iran’s presence at the summit. Every year, the African Union convenes two summits, one in January and another June.
