Joint Communiqué on the occasion of the visit to Senegal of H. E. Jacob G. Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, 1-2 October 2013
As part of the strengthening of the friendly, fraternal and cooperative relations between the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Jacob G. Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, at the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, undertook a State Visit to Senegal on 1-2 October 2013, accompanied by a high-powered delegation.
President Jacob Zuma was met on arrival by President Macky Sall in the presence of senior state officials and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Dakar.
In a fraternal atmosphere full of cordiality and reflecting the outstanding quality and depth of the longstanding ties between the Republic of South Africa and the Republic of Senegal, the two Heads of State engaged in wide-ranging discussions on bilateral cooperation and other issues of common interest. The President of the Republic of Senegal conveyed to his Distinguished Guest, the great importance he attaches to the visit which should boost cooperation between the two countries and yield concrete development projects that serve the interests of the South African and Senegalese peoples.
In this regard, the two Heads of State welcomed the holding of the second session of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) between Senegal and South Africa, on the occasion of the State Visit, and gave instructions for the strengthening of cooperation, especially in areas such as agriculture, mining, trade, tourism, higher education, training, scientific and technical research, and energy.
They also expressed their satisfaction with the dynamic military cooperation between Senegal and South Africa, marked by intensive exchanges between the two countries’ Armed Forces leading to the establishment of a Joint Defence Committee which held its first meeting in Dakar in September 2012 and the development, during that meeting, of a military cooperation action plan for the period 2013-2014.
Their Excellencies, President Jacob Zuma and President Macky Sall, expressed the wish for the consolidation of investments between Senegal and South Africa and, in that respect, welcomed the South African Department of Trade and Industry initiative to organize, on the sidelines of the State Visit, a Business Forum and Technical Mission with the view to promoting contacts between the two countries’ public and private sectors. The occasion will also follow up on the outcomes of the first exploratory mission to Senegal, in November 2012, which helped identify investment opportunities in several fields, including mining, energy, transport, tourism and infrastructure.
H.E. President Macky Sall expressed Senegal’s wish for the continued involvement of South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), in the realization of the Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) in Diass.
Similarly, he praised the interest expressed by South African public and private companies (IDC, Transnet, Lonrho and TMMF Holdings) to form a consortium and participate in the realization of the Dakar-AIBD-Thies Railway Project.
The two Heads of State expressed their satisfaction over the signing of Cooperation Agreements in the areas of Agriculture and Arts and Culture, and encouraged the two sides to finalise, as soon as possible, the draft agreements being negotiated. These include:
- Agreement on Economical and Technical Cooperation;
- Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion;
- Agreement on Energy Cooperation;
- Agreement on Environmental Cooperation;
- Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Livestock;
- Agreement on the Waiver of Visa Requirements for holders of official and diplomatic passports.
The two Heads of State stressed the particular importance of finalising the Memorandum of Understanding on the twinning of Gorée and Robben Island, taking into account their historic and cultural importance as well as the important symbolism of the two sites.
President Zuma and President Sall expressed the desire to strengthen cooperation between Senegal and South Africa in the domain of air transport with a view of making Dakar a hub to serve the entire West African region. To that end, the two countries agreed to pursue the establishment a well-developed aviation maintenance service, capable of meeting the demands of this sector. In this regard, they instructed their Ministers responsible for this sector to undertake the necessary steps as soon as possible.
At the end of their discussions, the two Presidents expressed their commitment to ensure that their actions are fully in line with the principles for consolidation of modern democratic states, the guiding principles for which are good governance and transparency.
They also noted with satisfaction their common position on the various issues raised, and reaffirmed their determination to strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between South Africa and Senegal in the interest of the two countries and the African Continent as a whole.
Senegal’s Head of State thanked the Government of South Africa for its support for Senegal's candidacy for the rotating non-permanent seat assigned to Africa on the United Nations Security Council, for the period 2016 – 2017, in the elections to be held in 2015.
As regards the African continent’s economic and social development, President Zuma, as chair of the Presidential Infrastructure Championing Initiative, reiterated his full support to President Macky Sall in his capacity as chair of NEPAD’s Orientation Committee. In this respect, the Heads of State exchanged views on the progress of implementation of one of the key outcomes of the 5th BRICS Summit held in Durban, namely the agreement to establish a common Development Bank which would, inter alia, support infrastructure development efforts in Africa.
With reference to the situation in Mali, the two Heads of State praised the return to constitutional order in that sisterly country. They also shared views on the challenges related to the fight against terrorism in the Sahelo-Saharan region and in Africa, particularly in view of the recent tragic events in Kenya.
At the continental level, the President of the Republic of Senegal and the President of the Republic of South Africa expressed their support for the future mission of the African Immediate Crisis Response Capacity (AICRC) within the African Union.
The two Heads of State discussed the need for United Nations reforms, especially that of the Security Council reform, and the need for Africa to have a permanent seat. The Heads of State expressed their hope that peace and democratic order are established through peaceful solutions in Egypt and noted with satisfaction the agreement concluded on Syria's chemical weapons.
At the end of his visit, H.E. President Zuma expressed his sincere thanks to the H.E. President Sall, and to the Government and people of Senegal, for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation during their stay in Dakar.
H.E. President Jacob Zuma extended an invitation to H.E. President Macky Sall to undertake an official visit to South Africa.
H.E. President Macky Sall accepted the invitation with pleasure. The date will be mutually agreed upon through diplomatic channels.
Done in Dakar, on 2 October 2013
For the Government of For the Government of
the Republic of South Africa the Republic of Senegal
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MAITE NKOANA-MASHABANE MANKEUR NDIAYE
Minister of International Relations Minister of Foreign Affairs and
and Cooperation and Senegalese Abroad
Enquiries: Mr Clayson Monyela, Spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 082 884 5974.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
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