Salehi arrives in Addis Ababa for 20th African Union summit

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has arrived in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to attend the 20th summit of the African Union.

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.

During his stay, the Iranian foreign minister will discuss Tehran’s cooperation with the AU and diplomatic relations with some African countries, meet several African heads of state and foreign ministers, elaborate on Iran’s national and international policies, and attend press conferences.

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.

There are reports that Israel made efforts to participate in the event but was rebuffed.

In line with Iran’s agenda to expand ties with African states, Iranian diplomatic envoys have attended all the AU summits over the past six years.