Mexico, Greece and Panama have appointed their First Permanent observers to the African Union Commission.
The diplomats have already presented their credentials to the Chairperson of African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Jean Ping in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The permanent observers include; H.E. Nicolas Protonotarios of Greece, H.E. Rodrigo Chiari of Panama and H.E. Juan Alfredo Miranda Ortiz of Mexico.
Dr. Ping observed that many of the Greeks who fled to Africa during the Greek Civil War (1946-1949) chose to settle in Africa and today constitute an important segment of the successful business community in many African countries.
He Added that Panama is interested in developing its relations with the African Union and AU Member States for several reasons, especially the fact that 15% of its population is comprised of people of African descent and that African culture is present in its society through food, music and other areas.
The new Permanent Observer briefed the Chairperson on Panama’s economy, which is heavily dependent on international trade.
He stated that Panama has the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world after Hong Kong and the biggest in the Western Hemisphere.
With a growth rate of 8 to 10% per annum, Panama’s economy is the fastest growing economy in Central America, despite the country’s small population of 3.3 million inhabitants.
Welcoming Ambassador Miranda, the Chairperson stated that the African Union is pleased to establish formal diplomatic relations with Mexico and commended Mexico for hosting the 7th Summit of the G-20, which is scheduled to take place in Los Cabos, Mexico, from 18-19 June 2012.
The Chairperson described Mexico as an emerging world power and invited Mexican entrepreneurs to invest in Africa.
“Africa is a market of over one billion inhabitants and we should work together to strengthen our ties of cooperation, especially in the areas of culture, trade and investment,” Dr. Ping stated.
The Chairperson briefed the Ambassadors on recent developments in Somalia, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Sudan/South Sudan, and thanked the Mexican Government for its expression of support for the AU’s peacekeeping efforts.
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