Press Release

29 July 2012

Minister Nkoana-Mashabane to host her US Counterpart

The South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, is scheduled to host the United States Secretary of State, Ms Hillary Clinton, for the second meeting of the South Africa-United States Strategic Dialogue on 07 August 2012.

It is expected that the meeting will discuss a range of issues of mutual interest.

Bilateral relations between South Africa and the United States are strong. The current US administration has expressed an interest in partnering with SA both domestically and regionally.

High-level visits and interactions, such as visits by Vice President Joe Biden to South Africa in 2010 and the reciprocal visit by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in 2011 to the USA, highlight the close relations between the two countries.

The US continues to support SA’s domestic priorities and has sought to align its assistance programmes and projects with South Africa’s national priorities.

The US is currently the third largest trading partner for SA, as well as a significant investor.  AGOA (the African Growth and Opportunity Act) due, for renewal in 2015, provides many South African exports with duty-free access to the USA and has favourably contributed to a trade surplus with the USA.

For further information, please contact Mr Clayson Monyela, Spokesperson for DIRCO, on +27 82 884 5974

Issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation

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