Crisis in Niger could affect EU ties: Brussels
(BRUSSELS) - The political crisis in Niger could affect its ties with the European Union, EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel warned Tuesday, voicing concern at events there.
"I am very concerned at the evolution of the political situation in Niger," said Michel in a statement.
"This is a country which has enjoyed internal stability for the last 10 years and today everything risks being brought into question," he warned.
Niger President Mamadou Tandja, a 71-year-old retired army colonel whose legal tenure expires in December, is fighting to retain the country's top job.
He has scrapped the national constitutional court a month after he dissolved a parliament that had challenged him.
Michel said he hoped to express his concerns directly to Tandja and "remind him that the decisions taken in recent days bring seriously into question the essential elements of the Cotonou Agreement, signed by the European Union and Niger, which could have direct consequences on our cooperation."
The Cotonou Agreement is a partnership deal between the European Union and members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States aimed at tackling poverty while contributing to sustainable development.
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