In 2003, India and SADC reached agreement for partnership arrangement with SADC-India Forum. In July 2003, the first Ministerial interaction between SADC and India was held in New Delhi. The opening statement at the India-SADC Ministerial Meeting on July 17, 2003 by Hon'ble External Affairs Minister, Shri Yashwant Sinha, is reproduced below.

I am happy to extend a warm welcome to you and your delegation. We consider your visit important in strengthening our links with Africa, a continent with which India shares historical links. In the post-colonial period, we have nurtured a symbiotic relationship in the economic development sector in the true spirit of South-South cooperation. Southern African countries were in the forefront of the anti-apartheid struggle and India was directly involved in this struggle through its moral and material support to the frontline States. We are closely monitoring the evolution of regional organisations in Africa as a corollary to globalisation and as a structured response to the problem of market fragmentation. The solution to the many challenges that confront Africa today, viz., poverty, food security, HIV/AIDS, illiteracy and political conflicts, lies in forging potent regional institutions. It is in this context that there is growing relevance of regional structures such as SADC.

It is indeed a reflection of our confidence in the economic potential of the SADC region, that an MOU on economic cooperation was signed between India and SADC as far back as in October 1997. This is a comprehensive agreement that envisages cooperation in diverse sectors such as agriculture, water resources management, human resource development, promotion of SMEs, communications, commerce, banking, trade and investment. We need to activate this MOU through identification of relevant organisations and concrete programmes. We are interested to know areas where SADC has achieved full competence to deal with other Governments so that specific programmes tailored to the needs of SADC could be evolved.

Currently, negotiations are underway to conclude a preferential trade agreement with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and India, which will eventually lead to a free trade arrangement. We hope that eventually this arrangement will cover all the SADC countries who are also in the process of concluding an FTA by the year 2008.

There is great deal of complementarity between SADC countries, which are abundant in mineral wealth and raw materials, and India which has the necessary pool of technology, experience and entrepreneurs. SADC should take the lead in providing appropriate institutional mechanisms to exploit the full potential of this complementarity. This region is currently facing unprecedented challenge in the field of food security and health. The recent drought situation has exposed the vulnerability of this region to food shortages. More than 12 million people have been affected severely by the drought and are faced with the danger of death by starvation. This is an irony in view of the large fertile tracts of land and water resources available in the SADC region. With a population of more than a billion and a geographical area of 3.29 million km., India has been able to not only feed its growing population but has also managed to have surplus food grain for export purposes. I see no difficulty in achieving such a green revolution in SADC countries, which have a population around 200 million and a geographical area which is as large as India. We have extended modest assistance to a few countries in the region in the form of foodgrains. But we are ready to go a step further in making this region self-reliant in food production by sharing our expertise in the agricultural sector. I am happy to learn that the food security situation has considerably improved for the year 2003-04 due to increased rainfall and measures taken by member States.

Similarly, the problem of HIV/AIDS has been a major focus of attention of SADC where about 15 million people are infected with this virus. There are other epidemic diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis for which African countries have to find affordable way of treatment. The Indian drugs cost less than one-tenth of the cost of drugs from other multinational companies. The speeding up of the ongoing efforts to harmonise registration procedures for drugs and pharmaceuticals at SADC level would greatly facilitate investment from India in this sector. I suggest that a team from SADC in the drugs and pharmaceutical directorate could visit India to familiarise itself with quality assurance methodology being adopted in India. My Government would be willing to offer assistance fur such a visit and to offer technical assistance in evolving harmonisation of registration procedures. In the field of human resource development, India has been training on a average 500 African candidates in diverse fields under its ITEC programme. We could extend this assistance to SADC Secretariat which could select candidates in areas which are of relevance to its regional programmes. In the area of SMEs, which is another focus area for SADC, India would be willing to set up a small-scale industries information centre to promote SMEs in the region.

There are global issues of common interest to us, such as the ongoing debates in the WTO on agriculture and TRIPS where we both will benefit by coordinating our positions. We have also expressed our willingness to extend fresh credit lines to African countries to support projects under NEPAD. India has already established contacts with NEPAD Secretariat, which is currently located in South Africa, to identify projects for investment. SADC could coordinate with NEPAD Secretariat so that common projects that are of relevance to SADC and NEPAD could be identified for cooperation.

Apart from traditional areas, India has also achieved excellence in the field of information technology. We are collaborating with Mauritius, a member of the SADC, in setting up of a cyber city which would be the symbol of our partnership in the new millennium. India could collaborate in setting up of IT training facilities at the regional level as a joint venture with SADC. I am very happy that India and SADC is formalising the setting up of the India - SADC Forum which will provide a mechanism for regular dialogue on issues of common interest. We need to chalk out a well - defined road map to achieve the objectives that are enshrined in the MOU that we have already signed. I have no doubt that the setting up of the forum would enable us to provide substantive content to our relations and make the interaction mutually productive and beneficial.