Ruto Heavily criticised for attending Italy-Africa Summit despite vowing to ignore single-country invitations.
Ruto Heavily criticised for attending Italy-Africa Summit despite vowing to ignore single-country invitations: The head of state has come out to defend his decision to attend the Italy-Africa summit on Monday, despite earlier declaring that he and other African leaders would not be summoned by a single country.
Early Last year, The president in a video, highlighted that Africa would hold discussions with other countries as a whole, represented by the African Union.
He cited the summoning of all African heads of state to a summit and then loading them onto buses like schoolchildren.
He stated,” It is not intelligent for 54 African Presidents to go and sit before one President from another country for a summit. Sometimes, we are mistreated. We are loaded onto buses like school kids. It is not right.”
“The decision we have made as AU is that going forward, if there is going to be a discussion between Africa and any other country, we would send the chair and the bureau, That is the position I am taking as the President of Kenya,” he added.
During his address at the summit on Monday, President Ruto stated that, despite his previous stance that an invitation extended by one country to all 54 African nations did not always serve Africa’s best interests, Italy had approached the matter pragmatically.
He stated,”Those of us present at this conference, representing our colleagues, find it different and inspiring due to the pragmatic approach you, have taken, Madam Prime Minister. Let me begin by appreciating President Sergio Matterella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Government of Italy for convening this Summit.”
His move has sparked a debate online;
Larry wrote,” President William Ruto said he + other African leaders would not be summoned by 1 country. The African Union would represent them going forward. He’s standing just steps away from both the AU chair & the AU Commission chair in Italy while other East African presidents skipped.”
Sholla expressed,” I wish President Dr. William Ruto would have been serious on his words of not attending some of these meetings. Now see how they have been bundled together like beggars waiting to be given handouts. When these leaders come to Kenya we usually give them red carpets , best treatment, gun salute. We might be poor , but shouldn’t allow such humiliation. That’s y I will always remember magufuli.”
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