Finland Times

The remarks were made on Thursday when AU Acting Director for Peace and Security, Admore Kambudzi, held talks with a delegation of Finnish ambassadors representing several missions across Africa, according to a statement from the pan-African bloc on Friday.

Led by Jarno Syrjala, Director General for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the delegation visited the AU Commission to explore ways of widening cooperation.

They discussed various threats to peace and security which continue to outpace progress in certain parts of the continent, including the proliferation and circulation of illegal arms, violent extremism, transnational organized crime, drug and human trafficking, illicit financial flows and governance, according to the statement.

"Over the last decade, the extent of violent conflict on the continent has reduced, despite the emergence of new security threats. The African Peace and Security Architecture, however, provides hope of achieving an Africa in which violent conflict has effectively been eliminated by 2020," said Kambudzi.

Speaking on the occasion, Syrjala expressed his country's willingness to continue working closely with AU to tackle security challenges facing the African continent.