PSC/PR/COMM.(DCCXLIV) COMMUNIQUE The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU), at its 744th meeting held on 15 January 2018, had an interactive consultative session on enhancing dialogue with the League of Arab States (LAS) on common peace and security issues in Africa, within the context of Article 17 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the AU, and adopted the following decision: Council: 1. Takes note of the statements delivered by the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador Smail Chergui, which was delivered on his behalf by the Acting Secretary to the PSC, Mr. Amadou Diongue. Council also takes note of the statement made by the Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, H.E. Ambassador Khalil Ibrahim AI Thawadi. Council further takes note of the statement made by H.E Ambassador Woinshet Tadesse, the Permanent Representative of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to the African Union, in its capacity as an African member of the United Nations Security Council (A3); 2. Acknowledges the mutual negative impact of peace and security threats to Africa and to the Arab world. In this regard, Council underscores the importance of joint strategies within the context of enhanced strategic partnership between the AU PSC and the LAS Peace and Security Council (LAS PSC) in addressing peace and security issues of common concern; 3. Stresses the importance for AU Member States, which are also members of the LAS, to play a bridging role within the context of further enhancing cooperation and collaboration between the Council and the LAS PSC Council, in addressing peace and security issues of common interest to both Councils; 4. Underscores the need to urgently revitalize the strategic partnership between the two Councils with regard to the promotion of peace and security in Africa through, among others, the participation of the LAS in some meetings of Council on peace and security issues of common concern to both Councils; 5. Underscores the importance of implementation of the Joint Communique of the 1st Annual Joint Consultative Meeting between the AU PSC and LAS PSC, held from 18 to 19 December 2010, in which the two Councils agreed to institutionalize their relationship, including through the following steps: (i) Holding of annual joint consultative meetings, alternately in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and in Cairo, Egypt; (ii) Exchanging agendas and programmes of work;