(VOVworld) – The African Union (AU) has decided to restore Egypt’s membership, one week after newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was sworn in.

African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (R)

The decision was made at a meeting of the Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday. Egypt will now be able to participate in PSC meetings and the African Summit later this month in Guinea.
The restoration of Egypt’s membership came earlier than expected. A date for an Egyptian parliamentary election has not been fixed. Chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said previously that Egypt could only re-join the union if it completed its political transition.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry released a statement welcoming the decision, saying it “reflects a respect for the will of the Egyptian people, embodied by the June 30^th revolution, and finalising the first two milestones of the new roadmap: a constitutional referendum and a presidential election”.