Joint Communiqué on the occasion of the State Visit by His Excellency, Mr Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, to the Republic of South Africa from 23 to 25 October 2017
1. At the invitation of His Excellency, Mr Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, His Excellency, Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, paid a State Visit to the Republic of South Africa from 23 to 25 October 2017.
2. H.E. President Macky Sall was accompanied by a delegation consisting of Ministers, Senior Government Officials and a business delegation.
3. The State Visit of President Macky Sall was preceded by the Third Session of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) between South Africa and Senegal which was convened on 20th October 2017 in Pretoria, South Africa.
4. During the Official Talks, the two Heads of State exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, continental and international issues of mutual interest.
5. The two Heads of State reaffirmed the strong historical relations based on political, economic and cultural ties that date back to the years of the freedom struggle against colonialism and Apartheid.
6. The two Presidents noted the celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the “Dakar Talks of 1987” held from 10 to 14 July 2017 in Dakar, Senegal and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Technical Cooperation between the Robben Island Museum Council and the Slave House Museum of Gorée Island.
7. The Heads of State noted the successful outcomes of the Third Session of the JCBC which reviewed bilateral cooperation under the thematic areas of Politics and Diplomacy; Economic; Social Development; and Defence and Security.
8. The two Presidents reviewed bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction with the state and dynamism of the relations between their two countries and reaffirmed their firm commitment to strengthen these relations.
9. The two Presidents agreed to elevate the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation to the level of Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs in Senegal to give further impetus to the enhancement of bilateral cooperation and implementation of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding.
10. The two Heads of State witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of Tourism which will facilitate tourism between the sister countries.
11. They further directed the ministers to finalise negotiations on all outstanding agreements and to ensure that those agreements are signed in the shortest period of time.
12. Furthermore, the Heads of State addressed the South Africa-Senegal Business Forum on 24 October 2017, where they underscored the importance of increasing economic cooperation for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
13. The two Heads of State exchanged views on the political and security situation on the Continent. They reaffirmed their commitment to working together in pursuit of sustainable peace, stability and economic development in the Continent.
14. The two Heads of State reiterated the need for coordinated efforts at continental level to address peace and security and to effectively combat terrorism. In this regard, President Sall informed his counterpart of the preparations for the 4th International Forum of Dakar on peace and security in Africa planned for 13 and 14 November 2017 on the theme: ‘’Current security challenges in Africa: finding integrated solutions’’.
15. The two Leaders reviewed developments with regard to the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee and the status of the NEPAD Steering Committee. They reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the NEPAD structures as complementary mechanisms to the African Union in the quest for economic and social development on the continent.
16. The Heads of State reaffirmed their commitment to the continental integration processes and called for implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and its Action Plan.
17. The two leaders also reaffirmed their support and commitment to Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. They also reiterated the call for the reform of the multilateral system and in particular the United Nations Security Council.
18. H.E. Mr Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, expressed his gratitude to H.E. Mr Jacob Zuma, President of the Republic of South Africa, for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him and his delegation.
Done at Cape Town, Republic of South Africa,
25 October 2017
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