Borrell Urges EU To Bolster Ties With Africa, Says Bloc's Geopolitical Interests At Stake

Borrell Urges EU to Bolster Ties With Africa, Says Bloc's Geopolitical Interests at Stake

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that the enhancement of the European bloc's ties with the African countries was crucial for the political and economic future of all interested parties

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th October, 2020) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that the enhancement of the European bloc's ties with the African countries was crucial for the political and economic future of all interested parties.

"Africa matters a lot for a fundamental reason: because our political, economic and security interests are at stake. Instability in Libya or in the Sahel or in Somalia affects our security. And from a demographic and economic point of view, we are going to build our future, for the good or for the bad, in Africa," Borrell said in his video blog, posted on the European External Action Service's website.

According to the diplomat, the EU has been facing growing geopolitical competition for resources and influence in many African countries.

"Third countries are there and they are playing against us, against our influence and our capacity to be the partners of African people," Borrell said.

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic had also driven away some countries on the African continent.

"Our African partners will understandably look for quick wins; they will turn to partners that offer us the quickest and the easiest and the least conditional support. And we have to table something serious if we want to keep the pace with them," Borrell noted.

The EU diplomat went on to say that the European bloc was committed to supporting their African partners in times of pandemic-induced financial difficulties.

The World Health Organization currently categorizes Africa as the second least affected region to the Western Pacific. As of Thursday, over 1.3 million COVID-19 cases were confirmed across the African continent, including about 30,000 deaths.