Seychelles attends 17th MCO meeting on politics, defence and security cooperation of SADC |24 July 2015

Ambassador Barry Faure, secretary of state for Foreign Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport, headed the Seychelles delegation to the 17th meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) on politics, defence and security cooperation of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The meeting took place in Pretoria, South Africa, from July 20-21, 2015.

The members reviewed the political and security landscape of the region which remains relatively stable at present. It also gave a report of and allowed for discussions on the endeavours of the different committees and sub-committees of the SADC Organ on politics, defence and decurity, all of which have been tabled for the consideration of the heads of state and government of SADC at the upcoming SADC Summit which is scheduled for August 2015 in Gaborone, Botswana.

SADC member states reiterated their support towards Seychelles’ candidature to one of the non-permanent seats of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2017-2018.

The endorsement of the candidature by SADC had formerly been made at the SADC council of ministers meeting that took place in March 2015 in Harare, Zimbabwe, taking into consideration the general consensus on the adherence to the sacrosanct principle and practices of rotation which Seychelles has called for within the Eastern African Community of the African Union Commission, where the Seychelles bid has been placed.

Seychelles’ participation at the ministerial meeting provided the opportunity for the conduct of high level discussions on a wide array of matters which are of interest to the archipelago and the  region, especially in line with the maintenance of peace and stability within the SADC, and the development of an even more secure and integrated region.

Other members of the Seychelles delegation included Terry Rose, chargé d’affaires and interim in the Seychelles High Commission in Pretoria and Jonathan Berlouis, programme development officer, department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Transport.