Uganda says Africa need Egypt back

Minister Kiyingi told that Egypt is "a very important member" of the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation.

Uganda says Africa need Egypt back
Ugandan is hoping that with the inauguration of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt's new president the African Union would review Egypt's frozen membership and allow the country back into the pan-Africa organization. "Egypt is a very important member of the African Union and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation to which Uganda is a member," State Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of regional affairs Asuman Kiyingi told Anadolu Agency. "We need them back," added Kiyingi who will be representing his country at the Sunday's inauguration of al-Sisi.

The Peace and Security Council, the African Union's decision-making body, froze Egypt's membership two days after the army, under Sisi, ousted elected president Mohamed Morsi on July 3 following mass protests against his one-year rule.

The decision was described as a standard procedure in the event of an unconstitutional change of government in any African Union member state.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will preside over the upcoming meeting of the 15-member Council, scheduled for June 25, to discuss unfreezing Egypt's membership.

The meeting will be held on the sidelines of the 23rd A.U. summit, which will be hosted by Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on June 20-27.

"We had engaged the Egyptian government to get back to the constitutional path following the overthrow of Morsi by the military," said Kiyingi. "The election is a milestone for them to achieving that objective," added the senior Ugandan diplomat.

Al-Sisi, who had resigned his post as army chief to contest the presidential poll, has been officially declared Egypt's new president after winning almost 97 percent of the vote, according to Egypt's election commission. He will be sworn in by the Supreme Constitutional Court on Sunday.

"We were invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony and President Yoweri Museveni asked me to represent Uganda," Kiyingi told AA. "Egypt is a friendly country and we share a lot in common."
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