[PHOTOS] Ruto meets EU President Charles Michel

President William Ruto held talks with EU council President Charles Michel on Saturday on the sidelines of the ongoing 36th AU summit.

The summit is being held in Ethiopia.

Ruto highlighted the value of the EU in the pursuit of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and Eastern DRC.

"We encourage other partners to join hands with us to avert further deterioration of the situation in these areas," said Ruto.

Ruto is among the 55 heads of state and government attending the summit which ends on February 19.

Among the discussion during the two-day conference are peace and security, climate change and food security.

Health and ways of fast-tracking Intra-Trade in Africa also formed part of the discussions.

Earlier on, Ruto gave his address during the inaugural Ministerial Forum on Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) at the sidelines of the summit.

"Africa must move into a new phase of healthcare provision with a focus on the early prevention of diseases and an aggressive approach to manufacturing of vaccines and medical products," he stated.