Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf left for Equatorial Guinea on Wednesday to participate in the 17th African Union (AU) Summit.
Sharaf will speak at the summit on behalf of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of Egypt's ruling military council.
The summit, scheduled to start Thursday, is the first AU summit Egypt will participate in since the outbreak of its revolution.
Sharaf said Egypt's participation highlights the importance of its relationship with Africa and is intended to deliver a message that the country is once again assuming its role in Africa despite internal difficulties.
He added that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' participation in the summit will bolster international support for the Palestinian cause, particularly as it seeks UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
Sharaf, who will attend the summit for one day, said he intends to support Egypt's interests as well as Arab and Palestinian causes.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
