LUSAKA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the European Union (EU) have held a dialogue meeting to deepen their partnership and strengthen cooperation across various fields.

The EU-COMESA Strategic Political Dialogue, held Tuesday in Lusaka, the Zambian capital, sought to strengthen cooperation on regional integration, economic transformation, peace and stability, and sustainable development across eastern and southern Africa.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe said the dialogue comes at a time of significant geopolitical and economic transformation globally, marked by conflicts, supply chain disruptions, increasing trade fragmentation, rising energy, food and logistics costs, as well as climate-related shocks that are reshaping global trade and investment patterns.

"These developments are directly affecting Africa and the COMESA region, including the efficiency of trade corridors, food and energy security, financial and fiscal capabilities, investment flows, and the cost of doing business," she said.

Kapwepwe noted that the dialogue meeting provides an important opportunity to reflect strategically on the evolving global environment and its implications for the future of the COMESA-EU partnership.

She commended the EU for being one of COMESA's most strategic development and trading partners through various collaborations, which reflect the growing importance of regional approaches in addressing global challenges.

Karolina Stasiak, EU's ambassador to Zambia and special representative to COMESA, said the dialogue meeting demonstrates the importance the EU places on strengthening its partnership with COMESA.

While noting that the two organizations share a common vision of building prosperous, stable, and sustainable economies, Stasiak commended COMESA for its continued strides in advancing regional integration.

The EU, she added, remains committed to deepening its partnership with COMESA on peace and security, supporting the organization's conflict mediation efforts, investing in reliable trade corridors, and addressing the structural drivers of instability.