S. African Development Community, Russia To Sign Memorandum Of Understanding - Ambassador

Fakhir Rizvi Published October 23, 2018 | 02:12 PM

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Investment Forum will provide the framework for signing a Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and SADC states, which will contribute to further development of bilateral relations,

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd October, 2018) The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Investment Forum will provide the framework for signing a Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and SADC states, which will contribute to further development of bilateral relations, Ndali-Che Kamati, the Namibian ambassador to Russia and chairperson of the SADC ambassadors to Moscow, said on Tuesday.

The SADC Investment Forum officially opened in Moscow earlier in the day and will last through Wednesday. During the forum, the SADC Secretariat will take part in panel discussions dedicated to the development of energy and infrastructure, health, mining sector and finance and logistics.

"[In] the framework of this investment forum, the SADC executive secretary, Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax, and H.E. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding between SADC and the government of the Russian Federation to put our relations and overall cooperation in the right perspective," Kamati said during a plenary session at the SADC Investment Forum.

The ambassador also noted that that SADC was interested in developing ties with Russia at the level of diplomatic contacts and in the field of trade and economic cooperation.

The executive secretary, in turn, said that the community and Russia should capitalize their good relations and noted that SADC was considering different areas of cooperation with Moscow, including the humanitarian sphere.

The meeting between Lavrov and Tax will take place later in the day. The memorandum will provide for the cooperation between the two sides for the next five years.

In July, the Southern African Development Community already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Russian government on cooperation in the defense sector, including the joint development, research, production and military training.

The Southern African Development Community was established in 1980 and currently comprises 16 states aiming to promote sustainable economic growth and development in the region.