Press release

Ambassador Faure meets with Ambassador Fatumanava Pa’olelei Luteru, Head of Delegation of Samoa

December 11, 2019
StateHouse

9th ACP Summit, Nairobi – Ambassador Barry Faure, Secretary of State for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of the Blue Economy, met with Fatumanava Pa’olelei Luteru, Ambassador of Samoa accredited to the Kingdom of Belgium to discuss the negotiations for a new ACP-EU partnership agreement.

Ambassador Faure thanked Ambassador Luteru for leading the negotiation on development cooperation and supporting the interests of ACP SIDS. He reassured the support of Seychelles in the process, notably on the future of the European Development Fund and the maintenance of the Centre for Technical Assistance for Agriculture and Rural Development in ACP countries (CTA) in the new partnership agreement. CTA is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the European Union (EU), operating under the framework of the current Cotonou Partnership Agreement and funded by the EU.

The two diplomats also discussed the importance of maintaining the Intra-ACP Funds which have been pivotal in leveraging the integration process within and across the three regions of the ACP. They agreed to use the SIDS Forum in Brussels to catalyse support on key issues for ACP unity.