Egypt offers to host 2013 summit of COMESA, SADC, and EAC

Egypt on Sunday offered to host the third summit of the COMESA, SADC, EAC. The offer came during the Egyptian Premier's opening speech before the second COMESA, SADC, and EAC summit in Johannesburg, South Africa. Egyptian Premier Essam Sharaf, who is leading his country's delegation at the Johannesburg meeting, said the post-revolution Egypt was keen on giving top priority to boosting relations with African countries in the political, economic, social and cultural domains.

Sharaf also said that Egypt would not back away from exerting any effort in the interest of the continent and its peoples. Egypt is trying to activate, with South Africa, an initiative for the formation of the biggest free trade bloc in the continent, aimed at creating regional integration and boosting Africa's role in the global economy.

The efforts are gathering steam at the current joint meeting of COMESA, SADC, and the EAC.

The proposed free trade bloc, which will include the three big groupings, is to open new cooperation horizons in the fields of trade and industry among African states, and also to encourage the establishment of joint investment projects for the sake of achieving sustainable development among African countries.

The post-revolution Egypt has made it clear that Africa is one of its top priorities.