Algeria has been appointed, along with three other countries, to a contact group created by the Arab League to help find a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
The creation of the contact group was decided this Wednesday, March 9 in Cairo during the 157th session of the council of the pan-Arab organization at ministerial level, the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.
Besides Algeria, the group includes Sudan, Iraq, Egypt and the Arab League SG. His mission will be to monitor and conduct the necessary consultations and contacts with the parties in conflict in order to reach a diplomatic solution to the crisis, according to the same source. The League has not taken a position on the conflict in Ukraine.
The creation of this group comes almost two weeks after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, February 24.
During the extraordinary emergency session on the evolution of the situation in Ukraine held by the UN on Tuesday, March 1, Algeria abstained, as did Sudan and Iraq while Egypt voted in favor of the resolution denouncing the Russian military intervention.
“Virtues of dialogue”
The Algerian ambassador to the UN then called on the two parties to dialogue. Algeria “can only join in all diplomatic efforts and appeals aimed at easing current tensions, and at favoring the virtues of dialogue in order to promote living together in peace between countries in the interest of peace and international security,” he said.
During this Wednesday’s session in Cairo, Algeria was represented by Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra at this session which will see the transition of the chairmanship of the Arab League Council from Kuwait to Lebanon.
Several other points are on the agenda of this 157th session, including the preparation of the next Arab summit in Algiers and the latest developments on the regional and international scenes.
On the sidelines of the work, Mr. Lamamra had face-to-face meetings with his counterparts in Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Mauritania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further informed.
