Media Statement
20 February 2020
Minister Pandor to host her Portuguese counterpart for bilateral consultations
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, will on Friday, 21 February 2020, host the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Prof Augusto Santos Silva, for bilateral consultations in Pretoria.
The visit is part of a series of high-level engagements between South Africa and Portugal and follows the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal in Maputo on 15 January 2020, where the two leaders attended the inauguration of the President of Mozambique, H.E. Felipe Nyusi.
South Africa and Portugal maintain a substantial, diverse and historic relationship. Strong bonds exist between the people of the two countries, aided in no small measure by the large number of South African nationals who are of Portuguese descent. While we value them as South Africans, their family and cultural relationships contribute to fostering close people-to-people relations.
At an official level, relations are managed through Bilateral Consultations at the level of Deputy Minister. The last one took place in Pretoria on 2 August 2019. At that time, ways in which cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture and agro-processing, oceans economy, education, arts and culture, science and technology, tourism and development assistance could be enhanced were discussed and specific follow-up actions identified. Some of these projects will be among the issues that Ministers Pandor and Silva will discuss during their deliberations.
The two countries also maintain a strong economic relationship. Bilateral trade reached R6.3 billion in 2019, a four per cent increase on the year before, while the number of Portuguese tourists visiting South Africa had reached 30,235 during the twelve months to the end of November 2019.
The Government of South Africa attaches great importance to Minister Silva’s visit, which will solidify the relationship between South Africa and Portugal.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION
OR Tambo Building
460 Soutpansberg Road
Rietondale
Pretoria
0084
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