Dear friends of the European Union and Sudan,

Thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate Europe Day.  A very warm welcome! 

Allow me to start my brief remarks with a vote of thanks.

Thanks to the very dedicated local and international partners and the many international agencies and civil society organizations we work with.

Thanks also to the staff of the EU Delegation in Khartoum and also to the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, our humanitarian arm in Sudan which is key in providing relief aid to IDPs and refugees in the camps through international organizations and UN agencies. The Delegation of the European Union in Sudan is only able to perform its tasks thanks to all your never relenting efforts and commitments.

And let me also thank my colleagues gathered around me. For they truly make the European engagement in Sudan a “Team Europe Effort”.

I take a deep and humble bow to you all.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It has been almost 3 years since we hosted our last Europe Day Reception because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In fact this is my first EU Day celebration in Sudan which I am glad that we together have overcome.  And, although we are very happy to welcome you all tonight, this year’s celebration still is not the celebration we would have hoped for, after all the COVID hardships. The world we live in today does not really invite for celebration.

Nevertheless, it still remains important to mark this day and remind ourselves of the core values of the European Union. This year, more than ever, Europe Day signifies our resolve to show our unwavering commitment to those core values of our Union. Values, which not only lie at the heart of the European Union itself, but also at the heart of our relations with the rest of the world. 

Democracy and Human Rights are bedrock values of our Union. They are as well cornerstones of our engagement with Sudan. It is worthwhile to observe that these values coincide with the values embedded in the Sudanese people’s resolve to take the fate of their country finally and firmly into their own hands.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The European Union is a success story of more than 69 years of regional economic and political integration of its member states. Even during the toughest of times and challenging periods and difficult chapters of our history, we learned that the only way forward is diplomacy, compromise, reconciliation and open dialogue.  It produced peace in our union.

Today, however, Europe finds itself confronted with war at its doorstep. Europe also finds itself in global turbulence, which directly affects and potentially endangers its core values. It also jeopardizes the rules based international order. Reminding ourselves of the importance of always defending our core values is therefore  now more needed than ever. The example of European integration urgently needs export to the rest of the world.

The war in Ukraine teaches us that peace is not self-evident. The Russian invasion in Ukraine illustrates that freedom cannot be taken for granted. Reports of violations of human rights, crimes of war and violations of international law go to say that justice does not come naturally.

Not by coincidence, these are also three pillars of Sudan’s glorious revolution: Freedom, peace and justice. Extending these values to all citizens completes the revolution slogan: Freedom Peace and Justice for all. Realizing this ‘’non-coincidence’’ makes it clear that Europe and Sudan face similar challenges in a world which is not evidently conducive to the core values of democracy, human rights and the rules-based international order. Allow me therefore to make a few remarks on each of the four elements of the slogan.

Firstly, FREEDOM:

What exactly defines freedom?

Freedom is best defined by what it is not: Freedom is not a limitless autonomy to act. Freedom is not a license to ignore others. To the contrary, freedom requires respect and accepting that there are limits to autonomy. Define freedom and you will see that it is in fact about democracy. ‘’The majority respecting and including the minority’’.

Secondly, PEACE:

Where there is no peace, there is war. And where there is war, there is loss of life and capital. War always comes at a huge cost. Europe has paid the price and that is why our union is so strong. In other words, peace is not only the best guarantee for human dignity, but also the best economic policy possible.

Thirdly, JUSTICE:

Victims of oppression, aggression and marginalization can only become full participating members of society if and when justice is done. Justice is therefore an indispensable element for sustainable democracy.

And fourthly, last but not least: IT SHOULD BE FOR ALL:

Freedom, peace and justice only take on their relevance if and when they apply to all citizens. Therefore, inclusivity is also a core value. The Europe of the Union only succeeded because it’s a Europe for all citizens.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In view of all this, it should come as no surprise that the European Union and its member states were was one of the key supporters of the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people right from the start.  We stood by the revolution, we will stand by the democratic transition and we shall continue to engage with the Sudanese people as full-fledged members of the concert of nations.

The European Union supported the democratic transition politically, financially and technically. We supported the civilian led government in Sudan. And, we have played an important role in ending Sudan’s International isolation.

To be sure, the transition is by no means a smooth process. There were mistakes, there were delays, there were promises unfulfilled, there were pledges broken.  But, Sudan was heading in the right direction; the direction of inclusive, democratic transformation. Its solid rooting in the Constitutional document augmented by the Juba Peace Agreement provided an anchor of popular consent.

This anchor, however, didn’t hold. Whether one wants to call the military take-over of 15 October last a coup d’ état or a military correction, it effectively lifted the anchor of popular consent with the trajectory of the transition.

The subsequent resignation of the civilian led government two months later reinforced the urgent need for all Sudanese leaders to recommit to the country’s democratic transition and deliver on the Sudanese people’s demands for freedom, peace, and justice for all. The Sudanese young people and women have clearly demonstrated their resolve to overcome the nation’s current political crisis, select new civilian leadership, and identify clear timelines and processes for the remaining transitional tasks, and laying the groundwork for elections.

The European Union and its member states will continue to support these goals of the democratic transition in Sudan. The tripartite initiative of UNITAMS, AU and IGAD to bring together a multitude of civilian initiatives into a Sudanese-led process to find a way out of the current crisis, relying on a solid anchor of inclusivity, has our full support. We call upon all stakeholders in Sudan’s transition to engage constructively in this dialogue process, making it a truly Sudanese-led effort to turn the democratic transition into a success.      

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We chose today on Europe Day to organize a modest reception with less festivity compared to previous years as we remember and express solidarity and think of all those civilians and young people who died in the war in Ukraine and the protests in Sudan. We still want to mark the day as a reminder of our joint responsibility to promote the core European values in the world.  It is my sincere hope that Freedom, peace and justice for all will be achieved in Sudan. We will make every endeavor to support Sudan in this pursuit. It is also my sincere hope that freedom peace and justice will prevail on the European continent and in fact around the world. And, finally, I call upon all Sudanese to join the European Union in pursuing the aspiration to apply the glorious revolution slogan not only to the citizens of Sudan but to truly all citizens of the world. Let’s make it a global slogan: Freedom, Peace and Justice for all, all over the world!

Thank you for joining us today, thank you for listening, and Happy Europe Day!