Pretoria - South Africa, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo have reaffirmed their commitment to the Tripartite Mechanism, which is a crucial vehicle to regional peace efforts.
The three counties met in Luanda, Angola, for their Extra Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Tripartite Mechanism, which was attended by their Foreign Affairs Ministers. The Ministers used the occasion to review regional, continental and international issues.
“The Ministers noted with great appreciation the commendable work in the area of peace and security, as evidenced by the successful completion of the first phase of training of army recruits at the Kitona and Mura bases and training in the public order,” the Ministers said in a communique issued after the meeting on Thursday.
The Ministers noted that the security situation in the eastern part of the DRC has substantially improved.
“The Ministers commended the pivotal role played by the Republic of Angola within the context of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Republic of South Africa in the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in the DRC.”
On regional issues, the Tripartite Mechanism noted with appreciation the ongoing work by the Southern African Development Community regarding regional integration.
The Ministers also expressed their commitment to African unity and integration within the framework of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. They committed to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, as well as African renewal, specifically through the implementation of the African Union's Agenda 2063.
The Tripartite Mechanism was established in 2013 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Heads of State of the three countries. With the signing of the MoU, the three countries made a commitment to strengthen cooperation in four areas namely, politics and diplomacy; security, defence and public order; economy and infrastructure, and public administration and local government. - SAnews.gov.za
