The European Union ( EU) plans to dialogue with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS including Nigeria on socio-political and economic issues to help move the region forward, according to a European diplomat.
Angel Fernandez, the Spanish ambassador to Nigeria, said in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday that the dialogue would examine the problems of the region and proffers the way forward.
Spain assumed the leadership of the EU in January.
"We will discuss the problems of the sub-region, including those of Nigeria, and proffer the way forward between the two countries (Nigeria-Spain) on every aspect," he told reporters in Abuja.
"This is very important for Nigeria and ECOWAS. We have chosen Nigeria to have a political dialogue because from now the former TRIOKA will not exist any more," he said.
The ambassador added that the dialogue with Nigeria would take place at the ministerial level in March while that with the ECOWAS would commenced in June.
The ministers will continue further discussions in Luxembourg or in Brussels in October, Fernandez said.
According to him, the talks were very important because Africa is present in the agenda of the EU and Spain.
He recalled that in 2009 the EU held a trioka meeting (Nigeria, EU and ECOWAS) of the senior officials in Abuja.
He said the objectives of the trioka were to create dialogue.
"That is what the political dialogue aims to achieve and we find new ways of understanding each other," the diplomat said.