PSC/PR/COMM.2(DXLIV) Page 1 COMMUNIQUÉ The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 544th meeting held on 18 September 2015, adopted the following decision on the situation in Mali and the Sahel region in general: Council, 1. Takes note of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the situation in Mali [PSC/PR/2.(DXLIV)] and the efforts made by the AU in the area of peace and security in the Sahelo-Saharan region. Council also takes note of the statements made by the Permanent Representative of Mali to the AU, as well as by the representatives of the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) Secretariat and the following permanent members of the UN Security Council: France, United Kingdom and United States of America; 2. Reiterates its commitment to the respect of the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Mali, in conformity with the relevant provisions of the AU Constitutive Act; 3. Recalls its previous communiques and press statements on the situation in Mali and the Sahelo-Saharan region, including press statement PSC/BR.(DXIII) adopted at its 513th meeting, held on 3 June 2015; 4. Reiterates its full support to the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali emanating from the Algiers Process, signed by the Government of the Republic of Mali, the Movements of the Algiers Platform and the Mediation led by Algeria, Chef de file, and comprising the neighboring countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria), international organizations (UN, AU, Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS, EU and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation - OIC), in Bamako, on 15 May 2015, as well as by the Coordination of the Movements of Azawad (CMA), also in Bamako, on 20 June 2015. Council reiterates its appreciation to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita for his continuous commitment to peace and reconciliation in Mali; 5. Stresses once again that the Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation is a balanced document that takes into account the legitimate concerns of all the parties, based on the respect of the unity and territorial integrity of Mali, as well as of the secular nature and the republican form of the State. Council further stresses that the effective implementation of the Agreement will make it possible to resolve, in a lasting manner, the crises that have regularly affected the northern part of Mali and to further isolate the terrorist and criminal elements present in this part of the country;