Addis Ababa — THE Africa-European Union (EU) Joint Expert Group (JEG) on Peace and Security met on Thursday at the African Union headquarters here within the framework of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy.

Held twice a year, the JEG meeting was co-chaired by Ambassador Abd El-NaceurBelaid, Algeria's Permanent Representative to the AU and Bernard Friedling, from the European External Action Service (EU).

The meeting discussed the three priority areas of the Partnership on Peace and Security of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy namely Political Dialogue, Operationalization of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and funding for African-led Peace Support Operations (PSOs).

The political dialogue encompassed the situations in Mali/Sahel, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Guinea Bissau. The participants exchanged views on the efforts to combat the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and on maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea and off the Horn of Africa.

The session on APSA focused on progress achieved in operationalising its key components, including the Africa Standby Force and the African Training Centres, as well as on priorities for 2013 and other areas of capacity development.