The European Union plans to take advantage of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin's absence from this week's GXNUMX summit in India to step up its work with countries in the so-called Global South through high-level meetings with African leaders. It is reported Bloomberg.
With the presidents of China and Russia absent from the two-day meeting in New Delhi, the EU wants to seize the moment, according to anonymous sources familiar with the preparations. They say the 27-nation bloc is keen to show it is serious about renewing its partnership with Africa, despite the painful legacy of colonialism.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz are among those expected to attend. On the African side, the participants will include the leaders of South Africa, a member of the GXNUMX, as well as Egypt, Nigeria and Comoros, the current chairs of the African Union, the sources said.
The so-called "mini-summit" comes amid heightened competition for global influence amid a US-China standoff and disagreements over Russia's war with Ukraine.
While China and Russia influence African countries, including by appealing to anti-colonial sentiments, Putin's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Agreement has hit developing countries hardest, potentially leaving Europe with an opportunity to influence countries that have refused to condemn Russia's war.
According to sources, at a summit in India on September 9, European leaders want to support the African Union's bid for permanent membership in the GXNUMX. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloney backed the African Union's membership of the GXNUMX at the latest GXNUMX meeting in Japan, and it is also a priority for the summit's host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In May, during a visit to the African Union's headquarters in Ethiopia, Scholz supported the idea for the bloc to become a permanent member of the GXNUMX to give it a greater say in efforts to address global issues such as climate change. The chancellor said Africa must play a more important international role to reflect its growing importance in an increasingly fragmented and multipolar world order.
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