09.10.08
Seychelles President visits SADC Summit
President James A. Michel headed a delegation to the 28th South African Development Community (SADC) Heads of States and Government Ordinary Summit which took place on August 16 – August 17, 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The story of the relationships between the Seychelles and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been previously discussed in details. But it should be noted that the readmission of Seychelles into SADC was one of the main highlights of this year’s Summit.
Besides the readmission of Seychelles into SADC, the official launching of the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA) was an important issue at the Summit. SADC’s main goals include forming common political interests and supporting greater trade and investment flows between SADC members. So, the SADC Free Trade Area is vital to achieve these goals. The SADC FTA was officially launched at the Johannesburg Summit on August 17, 2008.
The Summit also discussed the political situation in Zimbabwe and regional economic integration issues.