Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad concludes two day Official Visit to Switzerland

Berne - Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad concluded his two-day official visit to Switzerland on Tuesday 27 May 2008 where he co-chaired together with his counterpart State Secretary Mr Michael Ambuhl, the first session of the High Level Consultations between South Africa and Switzerland.

The High Level Consultations mechanism is an elevation of the political bilateral relations between the two countries, following the signing of the MoU on 8 March 2008 by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr NC Dlamini Zuma and her Swiss counterpart Ms Micheline Calmy-Rey Minister of  Foreign Affairs.

The MoU established a structural and institutional framework, which will be the basis for a more coordinated approach in the conduct and management of the bilateral relations between South Africa and Switzerland.

Switzerland, in its foreign policy objectives, has identified South Africa as one of its strategic partners in Africa. Switzerland is South Africa’s 5th trading partner accounting to trade volume, which is around 1.85billion Swiss Francs (CHF), about R13 billion.

The High Level Consultations considered the progress that has been made in a number of areas aimed at consolidation of the relations between the two countries since the two sides met in Cape Town in 2007.

The following areas are worth noting in terms of progress:

• The Secondment of a South African as the Special Rapporteur to the AU Office on the Women Rights in the Gambia in April 2007.
• Signing of Science and Technology Agreement on 7 December 2007
• MoU signed on 8 March 2008,
• Coming into force of the EFTA/SACU agreement on 1st May 2008, and
• Launch of the Joint Economic Cooperation (JEC) on 14 May 2008.

The issue of development co-operation featured highly on the Agenda of the High Level Consultations. The two sides were encouraged to note that cooperation between the two countries in not only restricted to bilateral interaction but also to third country level through trilateral cooperation.

The two parties agreed to consolidate cooperation in the post-conflict reconstruction and development in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Sudan.

The meeting also deliberated on Switzerland’s intention to join the Schengen Zone and the effects thereof on South Africa. The two governments are currently negotiating exemption of diplomatic and official passports from visa requirements.   

Issued by: South African Embassy

Berne, Switzerland

27 May 2008