Sweden said on Thursday that its short-term support for the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) from 2007 to 2008 will continue to focus on trade negotiations, small arms program and regional trans-border initiatives.
A statement from ECOWAS Commission here said the pledge was one of the outcomes of the inaugural collaboration meeting between ECOWAS and Sweden.
The statement quoted the Swedish delegation, led by the country's Ambassador Lars-Owe Persson, as also raising the prospect of additional institutional support for ECOWAS.
It said the first collaboration meeting between them was to explore additional areas of cooperation based on their February 2006 framework agreement, adding that the framework agreement was anchored on five main objectives.
The objectives are reinforcing the efforts of the poor in the region to improve their quality of life, creating a peaceful and secure region, promoting effective and sustainable regional cooperation. Others are integration and development, as well as strengthening regional institutions and partner organizations.
The statement quotes ECOWAS as saying it is satisfied with the five identified areas proposed for additional cooperation.
The statement also quoted Mohammed Ibn Chambas, president of the ECOWAS Commission, as identifying other five areas for further cooperation.
These are conflict management and prevention, economic cooperation and integration, common infrastructure and shared natural resources, as well as capacity building for ECOWAS institutions.
Chambas said the agreed areas were consistent with the medium- term priorities of the region, which were enunciated during the 2007 Summit.
Both delegations agreed to hold the next annual consultations at the beginning of 2008 in Abuja at a date to be mutually agreed.
Source: Xinhua
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