Luanda - Angola will participate, starting this Thursday, in the 26th meeting of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ (MCO) on Cooperation in the areas of Politics, Defence and Security, which takes place in Lusaka, Zambia.
The minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, is representing the country at the meeting that ends on the 12th of this month and will analyze the implementation level of the decisions of the Ministerial Committee of the Organ, the Council and the Summit, as well as assess the SADC region's political situation.
The gathering will also focus on matters arising from the Interstate Committee on Politics and Diplomacy (ISPDC), the Mediation, Conflict Prevention and Preventive Diplomacy Structures, as well as the Selection Mechanism for Candidates for positions in Continental and International Organizations.
The meeting will be chaired by Zambia's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe, in his capacity as chairman of the SADC Ministerial Committee of the Organ.
In light of the provisions of article 5 of the SADC Protocol on the Body for Cooperation in the Areas of Politics, Defence and Security, the MCO is a body composed of the ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, Defence, Public Security and State Security of the members of the SADC Organization.
The MCO is mandated to coordinate the activities of this body in promoting peace and security in the region, which recognizes peace, security and political relations as being critical factors for creating an environment favourable for regional cooperation and integration.
FMA/ART/CF/jmc
