[Published: Monday March 23 2026]
 EU turns to Africa, as Middle East burns
By Andrew Rettman
BRUSSELS, 23 March. - (ANA) - EU diplomacy will turn to Africa this week, while Brussels goes back to kitchen-sink affairs, in the shadow of a failed Ukraine summit and the Middle East war.
EU foreign and trade ministers will meet in Yaoundé, Cameroon, over four days starting on Thursday (26 March) at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) congress.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will also visit Nigeria on Monday and Ghana on Tuesday, where she will sign a security and defence partnership.
The WTO event comes amid EU efforts to counter US president Donald Trump’s assault on multilateral institutions, via unilateral trade tariffs and military attacks on Iran and Venezuela.
The west Africa visits and Ghana security accord also come after a series of coups, fuelled by Russian propaganda and anti-colonialism, drove out French-led military forces from the region, diminishing European power.
EU diplomacy will turn to Africa this week, while Brussels goes back to kitchen-sink affairs, in the shadow of a failed Ukraine summit and the Middle East war.
EU foreign and trade ministers will meet in Yaoundé, Cameroon, over four days starting on Thursday (26 March) at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) congress.
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas will also visit Nigeria on Monday and Ghana on Tuesday, where she will sign a security and defence partnership.
The WTO event comes amid EU efforts to counter US president Donald Trump’s assault on multilateral institutions, via unilateral trade tariffs and military attacks on Iran and Venezuela.
The west Africa visits and Ghana security accord also come after a series of coups, fuelled by Russian propaganda and anti-colonialism, drove out French-led military forces from the region, diminishing European power.
Face-to-face time with Rubio
For her part, Kallas and French, German, Italian, British, Canadian, and Japanese foreign ministers will have their first opportunity for face-to-face talks since the Iran war with US secretary of state Marco Rubio at a G7 ministerial meeting in Vaux-de-Cernay, France, on Thursday and Friday. - (ANA) -
AB/ANA/23 March 2026 - - -
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