Harare, Aug 17 (IANS): The 44th Ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit of Heads of State and Government opened in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare on Saturday, with regional leaders stressing the need to continue fostering political and economic stability to accelerate regional integration and industrialization.
In his welcoming remarks to the delegates, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe is greatly honored to host the regional meeting which will chart the region's development agenda over the coming year.
Mnangagwa expressed gratitude to the regional grouping for standing with Zimbabwe during the over two decades of Western sanctions on the country, noting that many countries in the region resisted undue pressure from some Western countries to abandon the southern African country.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to personally thank you all for the many years of your unwavering solidarity, support, and unbreakable fraternal relations with the Republic and people of Zimbabwe. This has been against the continued heinous sanctions imposed on our motherland, Zimbabwe, by some Western countries," Mnangagwa said, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We are aware that various forms of undue pressure may have been exerted on you over the years to abandon us, yet you have remained resolute in the true spirit of our liberation wartime mantra that an injury to one is an injury to all," the president added.
In 2019, SADC designated Oct. 25 as Anti-Sanctions Day, a day in which member countries carry out various activities to show solidarity with Zimbabwe in calling for the unconditional lifting of the sanctions.
In his acceptance speech after assuming the SADC chairmanship from outgoing chair and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Mnangagwa rallied the region to unite and work together to advance the region's development agenda for the benefit of SADC citizens.
The SADC region, he said, must deploy innovative strategies across all sectors of the economy to spur regional value chains, particularly focusing on value addition and beneficiation of the abundant mineral and natural resources in the region.
He said the SADC region must continue to jealously guard and defend its sovereignty and the right to economic self-determination, noting that under his chairmanship, the SADC region will continue to robustly implement regional projects and programs that advance regional development.
The one-day SADC summit, held at the Chinese-built new parliament building, runs under the theme of "Promoting Innovation to unlock opportunities for sustainable economic growth and development towards an Industrialized SADC."