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Joint Communiqué on the Inaugural Session of the South
Africa - Guinea Conakry Joint Commission of Co-opreation held in Pretoria from
23 - 24 November 2006 The inaugural session of the Joint Commission of Co-operation
(JCC) between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government
of the Republic of Guinea was held in Pretoria, South Africa from 23 to 24 November
2006. The session took place within the context of the historic relations of friendship,
solidarity and co-operation between the two countries and in follow up to the
Working Visits to the Republic of Guinea by Dr NC Dlamini Zuma and President TM
Mbeki in November 2005 and July 2006 respectively. The South Africa delegation
to this inaugural session was led by Her Excellency Dr NC Dlamini Zuma, Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, while His Excellency Mr Mamady
Conde, Minister of State in charge of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
of the Republic of Guinea, led his country's delegation. His Excellency,
Mr Mamady Conde was accompanied by His Excellency Mr Alpha Ibrahima Keira, Minister
of Transport of the Republic of Guinea, and a delegation of senior officials representing
a number of Guinean government ministries. In her opening remarks, Her Excellency
Dr NC Dlamini Zuma recalled the successful Working Visit to Guinea by President
TM Mbeki during which the two Heads of State implored their respective governments
to accelerate the pace of co-operation between the two countries. In line with
the above, Her Excellency Dr NC Dlamini Zuma requesting the various JCC Working
Groups to put in place a Programme of Action to consolidate and solidify the levels
of co-operation. In his response, His Excellency Mr Mamady Conde recalled
the historic relations of friendship and brotherhood that have always existed
between the South Africa and Guinean peoples and underlined the necessity of developing
and diversifying these relations in accordance with the political will expressed
by the two Heads of State, Their Excellencies Mr Thabo Mbeki and General Lansana
Conte. During the session, bilateral consultations were held within the
context of Working Groups in the following areas: - Communications
- Education
- Trade and Industry
- Transport
- Foreign Affairs
- Mines
and Energy
The Minutes of the Working Groups as well as their Programme
of Action are attached to this Communique, of which they form an integral part. The
two Heads of Delegation urged their respective officials to develop the necessary
plans for the implementation of the projects identified thus far within the various
sectors of co-operation and committed their governments to the promotion of partnerships
between the private sectors of the two countries. In this regard, the parties
agreed to examine the options involved in the creation of a South Africa - Guinea
Business Forum. In this regard, they particularly welcomed the steps taken towards
developing the necessary legal framework and putting in place mechanisms and programmes
aimed at exploiting the various identified areas of co-operation. The expeditious
holding of the inaugural session of the Joint Commission of Co-operation was also
heralded as a sign of their commitment to strengthen the bonds of co-operation
between the two countries. The two Heads of Delegation agreed that the proposed
Programmes of Action represented a concrete development in the expansion of bilateral
relations between the two countries and expressed their desire to see the progress
made in this regard to be reviewed during the next session of the Joint Commission. The
two Heads of Delegation also welcomed the finalisation of the Agreement on the
waiver of visas for diplomatic and official passport holders of the two countries
as a positive step towards facilitating exchanges between their respective governments. The
Heads of Delegation urged the participants in the JCC to be proactive and to focus
on implementing the decisions taken by this session in order to ensure concrete
progress in all the sectors of co-operation. The discussions took place
in a friendly and cordial atmosphere reflecting the bonds of friendship between
the two countries. Both sides affirmed their readiness to implement the decisions
of the inaugural session the Joint Commission of Co-operation between South Africa
and Guinea with a view to further improve co-operation between the two countries. The
two sides agreed that a second session of the Joint Commission of Co-operation
will be held in Conakry in 2008 on a mutually agreed date. At the end of
his visit, His Excellency Mr Mamady Conde expressed his satisfaction and profound
gratitude to Her Excellency Dr NC Dlamini Zuma and the government and people of
South Africa for their warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation. Issued
by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
0001 24
November 2006 | 
