Kinshasa, November 24th, 2025 (CPA).- Peace and security have been cited as vital priorities for the African and European peoples by the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during his speech on Monday, at the first day of a world summit in Luanda, Angola. ‘If we want to talk about prosperity, mobility, trade and investment, we must first face up to the reality that still affects too many regions of our continent: peace and security have become vital emergencies,’ has indicated the Congolese Head of State, in the presence of his peers attending the 7th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the European Union – African Union (EU-AU Summit). President Tshisekedi was addressing in front of his African and European counterparts in the thematic group on ‘Peace, Security, Governance and Multilateralism’. In his speech, he has asked them to take stock of the 25 years of the Europe-Africa partnership established in Cairo, Egypt. The Congolese Head of State has called his peers’ attention to the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, such as his own country, DRC, which has been attacked by Rwanda.
« The principles that form the basis of our continental order, namely respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-interference and non-use of force, are being severely tested today. The Democratic Republic of Congo is, unfortunately, a painful example of this, » he has said, inviting all stakeholders to take stock of the partnership over the past 25 years. ‘This summit is a time to take stock and examine with clarity what our partnership has really changed in the lives of our peoples; a moment of truth to recognise what needs to be corrected, rethought and sometimes rebuilt; a time to look ahead and together outline the contours of a more robust, more balanced partnership that is resolutely focused on the future,’ has said President Felix Tshisekedi.
However, the President of DRC has supported the multilateralism that calls for equal respect for international rules, cooperation based on transparency, and genuine solidarity that does not abandon any people to their fate when their fundamental rights are violated. Furthermore, President Tshisekedi has declared: ‘As long as entire populations remain exposed to massacres, sexual violence, forced displacement and permanent insecurity, we cannot calmly talk about prosperity or controlled human mobility. No economic agenda or migration project can be sustainable if it ignores the human tragedies that form its breeding ground.’ The Head of State has expressed his hope that this 7th African Union-European Union Summit in Luanda would be the summit that marked the transition to action, ‘the summit at which our partnership, already a quarter of a century old, would fully assume its maturity by placing peace, human dignity and shared prosperity at the heart of our common project.’
Theme: ‘Promoting peace and prosperity through effective multilateralism’.
During the opening ceremony, European and African leaders have praised the partnership between the two continents established in Egypt in 2000. All have called for this partnership to be strengthened. This summit is being held a few days after a partnership dialogue between the Congolese government and the EU. During this meeting, which focused on assessing areas of existing cooperation, the two parties have reiterated their commitment to working towards consolidating the partnership through the development of further development projects. The European Union (EU) Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Johan Borgstam, has encouraged the Congolese Government to forge partnerships with the European private sector as part of strengthening cooperation between the two parties during a meeting in Kinshasa. He has listed a number of investment projects of interest to his organisation, such as the Kivu-Kinshasa green corridor and the Lobito corridor.