Addis Ababa, 27 April 2018: The Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, welcomes the convening, today, of the Summit meeting between President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of South Korea and Leader Kim Jong-un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He expresses the African Union’s full support to the Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.

The Chairperson of the Commission is convinced that this Summit and its outcome will go long way in enhancing the prospects for lasting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, as well as in furthering the objective of its denuclearization. He encourages the two countries to spare no efforts in consolidating this remarkable achievement.

The Chairperson of the Commission looks forward to the planned Summit between President Donald Trump of the United States of America and Leader Kim Jong-un of North Korea. He expresses the hope that this meeting will build on the inter-Korean Summit outcome, in order to take forward the objective of a nuclear weapon free, peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula.

Today’s historic Summit is a vindication of the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue and a tremendous contribution to global peace. It has particular significance for the African Union and its Member States, in view of their long standing commitment to the respect of international law and a nuclear-weapon-free world.