Discussions will include economic integration, the Single African Air Transport Market and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, March 12, 2018/APO Group/ --

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, today (March 10, 2018), began a three-day working visit to Algeria. On arrival, he was welcomed by the Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Abdelkader Messahel. He then went to the Sanctuary of the Martyrs, for a wreath laying and remembrance ceremony.

During his visit, the Chairperson of the Commission will meet senior Algerian officials to discuss a number of continental priorities. Discussions will include economic integration, following the recent decisions of the Addis Ababa Summit of January 2018 on the African Continental Free Trade Area, which is scheduled to be signed in Kigali on 21 March 2018, the Single African Air Transport Market and the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and the African Passport. The African Union institutional reform and the promotion of peace and security, including the fight against terrorism, will also be discussed with the Algerian officials.

The Chairperson of the Commission will take the opportunity to visit African Union institutions based in Algeria - the African Energy Commission, the African Center on the Study and Research on Terrorism and the Secretariat of the African Police Cooperation Mechanism, which are headquartered in Algiers, as well as the Tlemcen-based Pan-African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences.

The delegation of the Chairperson of the Commission includes the Commissioners for Peace and Security, Human Resources, Science and Technology, the High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, and the Executive Secretary of the Planning and Coordinating Agency of the New Partnership for Africa's Development.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Union Commission (AUC).