By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor welcomed visiting Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, to South Africa, adding that the engagement deepened relations between Pretoria and Ankara, the capital of Turkey.
Pandor held Bilateral Political Consultations with Foreign Affairs Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu of the Republic of Türkiye on Tuesday.
“Co-chair, it is an honour to preside jointly with you over these Consultations today. Such engagements are indicative of our respective countries’ joint commitment to strengthen bilateral relations through dialogue and through the exchange of knowledge in different areas of expertise,” she said at the session held in Pretoria.
South Africa and Türkiye maintain strategic bilateral political, economic and cultural relations that were established in 1991.
Pandor expressed South Africa’s condolences to the Government and people of the Republic of Türkiye on the tragic loss of life as a result of the explosion which occurred in Istanbul on 13 November 2022.
“South Africa remains steadfast in condemning all forms of violence and wishes to extend our sympathy to those directly affected by this tragedy.”
It was reported at the time that at least six people were killed in the blast with several others sustaining injuries during the incident.
“May I also use this opportunity, on behalf of His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, the government and people of the Republic of South Africa to convey our sincerest congratulations and best wishes to His Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the people of the Republic of Türkiye on celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye this year.”
Bilateral trade between the two countries has seen a gradual growth over recent years. During the period April to November 2022, South African exports to Türkiye increased by approximately 18%.
Türkiye remains a key investment partner for South Africa and has already invested in several projects with direct capital investment estimated at about R156.80 million over the past decade.
Çavuşoğlu said his country endorsed the idea of delivering more grain and fertilizer to developing and underdeveloped countries on the African continent.
He said they held comprehensive talks with Pandor on bilateral relations and international issues and expressed hope to have the fourth meeting of an economic committee of two countries in Türkiye, noting that bilateral trade volume exceeded $3 billion in 2022, increasing by 50%. He said they also discussed the possibility of organizing another Türkiye-South Africa Business Forum and opportunities for cooperation on infrastructure and energy projects. He noted that the two countries also signed a memorandum of understanding for scientific and technological cooperation.
The minister stated that increasing Turkish Airlines (THY) flights to and from Johannesburg and Cape Town would improve commerce and tourism. “In our talks today, we agreed upon the need to bring back the rate of flights between our countries to pre-pandemic levels,” he said.
He noted that Türkiye’s approach to Africa was based on equal partnership, mutual respect, and a win-win strategy. They would continue working with South Africa for their Africa Partnership Policy.
The two ministers also discussed developments in Ukraine, Ethiopia and Africa, and Çavuşoğlu said they appreciated South Africa’s role in the deal between the Ethopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). He said Türkiye and South Africa were doing their best for the smooth implementation of the United Nations Istanbul grain deal.
Pandor was also encouraged by our mutual recognition of the importance of the values of peace and stability, democracy, the rule of law and the centrality of multilateralism in sustainable development.
Tuesday’s meeting follows the visit by Deputy Minister Alvin Botes to Türkiye in October 2022 where he had successful discussions with his Türkiysh counterpart Deputy Minister, Sedat Önal.