PSC/AHG/COMM/1.(CCCXCVII) Page 1 COMMUNIQUÉ The Peace and Security Council of the African Union (AU), at its 397 th meeting held on 23 September 2013, adopted the following decision on the partnership between the African Union and the United Nations in the area of peace and security: Council, 1. Takes note of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the African Union-United Nations Partnership: the Need for Greater Coherence [PSC/AHG/2. (CCCXCVII)]. Council also takes note of the statements made by the Chairperson of the Commission, the Chairperson of the Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations; 2. Reiterates its earlier press statements and communiqués on the partnership between the AU and the UN in the area of peace and security, in particular communiqué PSC/PR/COMM.(CCCVII), adopted at its 307th meeting held on 9 January 2012, which took note of the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the Partnership between the African Union and the United Nations on Peace and Security: Towards Greater Strategic and Political Coherence [PSC/PR/2.(CCCVII)], commended the comprehensive and forward-looking strategic vision contained therein and elaborated a set of principles that should underpin this relationship, based on the recognition of the primary role of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security and the provisions of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter on the role of regional organizations and arrangements; 3. Recalls the resolutions and presidential statements adopted by the UN Security Council on the relations between the UN and regional and subregional organizations in the maintenance of international peace and security, notably resolution 2033 (2012) of 12 January 2012 and presidential statement PRST/2013/12 of 6 August 2013, as well as the resolution on the cooperation between the AU and the UN, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 September 2013; 4. Welcomes the progress achieved in forging a more coherent and effective partnership between the AU and the UN in the context of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter and Article 17 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council. In this respect, Council notes with satisfaction: i. the pursuit of the joint annual consultative meetings between the UN Security Council and the Peace and Security Council; ii. the continued functioning of the mechanisms established between the AU Commission and the UN Secretariat to foster strategic partnership and operational coordination, notably the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the Desk-to-Desk;