Addis Ababa, 18 February 2012: On 17 February 2012, in Victoria, Seychelles, and as part of the implementation of the African Union Border Programme (AUBP), the Governments of the Comoros, the Seychelles and Tanzania signed Agreements on the delimitation of their maritime borders.

These include:
     ~  an Agreement on the delimitation of the maritime border between the Republic of Seychelles and the Union of the Comoros; an
     ~  an Agreement between the Republic of Seychelles, the Union of the Comoros and the United Republic of Tanzania on the Indian Ocean triple point.
These delimitation Agreements were signed by Mr. Jean-Paul Adam, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Mohamed Bakri Ben Abdoulfatah Charif, Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, in charge of the Diaspora, Francophonie and the Arab World, of the Union of The Comoros, and Honorable Bernard Kamillius Membe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania, during a ceremony held at the Queau de Quinssy House, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Mourad Taiati, Head of the AU Liaison Office in the Comoros, represented the AU Commission at the ceremony. Also in attendance was the Director of the GiZ-AU Office in Addis Ababa, Mrs Ruenger Mechthild. It should be recalled that Germany, through GiZ, provides financial and technical support to the AUBP, including delimitation/demarcation, as well as cross-border cooperation, in a number of AU Member States.

The signing of these Agreements comes two months after the one concluded in Maputo, Mozambique, on 5 December 2011, within the framework of the AUBP, regarding the delimitation of the maritime borders between the Comoros, Mozambique and Tanzania.

The Agreements signed in Victoria constitute a new step in the implementation of the AUBP. Launched in 2007, the Programme has three main components: delimitation and demarcation of African borders where such exercise has not yet taken place; cross-border cooperation; and capacity building. The overall objective is to prevent conflict and deepen integration.

The signing of these Agreements is a further testimony to the commitment of the Governments of Comoros, Seychelles and Tanzania to promote peace, security and stability in the region, as well as to further cooperation towards the sustainable and concerted management of marine resources, in line with the AUBP.

The Commission reiterates the determination of the AU to intensify its efforts to assist Member States in the processes of defining their international boundaries and promoting cross?border cooperation.

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