The Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Marius Fransman, is visiting Brussels on Friday, 11 May 2012, for discussions with the EU on Madagascar.

Deputy Minister Fransman serves as the Chair of the SADC Organ Troika and President Zuma’s Special Envoy on Madagascar. As Chair, he is mandated by SADC to engage all the Malagasy stakeholders in the work to resolve the crisis, leading to free and fair elections. In addition to engaging with the Malagasy role players, Deputy Minister Fransman also engages with the AU, the UN, and other international actors who are supporting the SADC Facilitation. It is in this context that he will be meeting with senior officials from the European External Action Service (EEAS), led by Mr David O’Sullivan, the Chief Operation Officer, and Mr Nick Westcott, the MD for Africa.  The discussions will include the status of the implementation of the 2011 Roadmap. The discussions will also include possible cooperation between the EU and the SADC Liaison Office in Madagascar, in view of the EU’s offer to provide support to the SADC Team.

The meeting follows a similar visit to Brussels by the Deputy Minister in 2011. A useful discussion is expected, and one that will add value to SADC’s ongoing work to facilitate a resolution to the crisis.