The African Union Commission and the German Federal Foreign Office held a Strategic Dialogue on Foreign and Security Policy on 15 July 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to review the longstanding partnership between the African Union (AU) and Germany and to identify priority areas for enhanced cooperation on governance, peace and security.

The discussions, held between H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security and H.E. Dr. Géza Andreas von Geyr, State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office, reaffirmed the shared commitment of the AU and Germany to strengthening multilateralism, advancing African-led solutions to peace and security challenges, and promoting sustainable peace, stability and prosperity. Commissioner Adeoye expressed appreciation for Germany's continued political and technical support to the AU across a broad range of initiatives, including border governance, mediation and preventive diplomacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and institutional capacity-building. State Secretary von Geyr recalled the German support for an adequate representation of African voices in international fora, including the UN Security Council.

The two sides exchanged views on the evolving geopolitical landscape, including consequences of the war in Iran and the region and the need for a diplomatic solution as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They also reviewed the peace and security landscape across the African continent, with particular focus on Sudan, the Horn of Africa, the Great Lakes region and the Sahel. They underscored the importance of African ownership and coordinated international engagement in support of African-led peace efforts, reaffirmed support for the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), and stressed the need to address the growing threat of terrorism and transnational security challenges.

The dialogue also explored opportunities to deepen cooperation in emerging areas, including responsible governance of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, expert exchange on mediation and peacebuilding, and collaboration on multilateral election observation and preventive diplomacy. Both sides agreed to sustain close consultations on regional and global issues of mutual interest and to further strengthen practical cooperation in support of conflict prevention, mediation, peacebuilding and democratic governance.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to institutionalize the AU-Germany Strategic Dialogue on Foreign and Security Policy as an annual platform for advancing bilateral cooperation, reinforcing effective multilateral action, and promoting peace, security and prosperity across Africa. To this end, the German Federal Foreign Office invited the African Union Commission to Berlin in 2027 for the next session of the Dialogue.

For more information, please contact:

Directorate of Information and Communication  | African Union Commission | E-mail: DIC@africanunion.org | Web: au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

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