Russia and South Africa to hold a meeting on BRICS cooperation before the end of the first quarter

Russia and South Africa intend to hold a meeting on bilateral cooperation within the BRICS framework by the end of the first quarter of this year. This was reported by TASS citing the Russian Ministry of Economic Development (MED).

The Ministry organized the meeting between the two countries. The Ministry said that during the 17th meeting of the committee, the parties will consider important issues of the bilateral agenda. Among the most promising areas for discussion are financial cooperation, industry, agriculture and energy.

The Ministry also added that deepening relations with South Africa is Russia's priority on the African continent.

According to the results of 11 months of 2022, South Africa has become the first trading partner of Russia among the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. The trade turnover between the states increased by 15%, said in the Ministry of Economic Development.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a meeting with the leader of the Republic of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. The parties discussed the need for reforms in the financial institutions of developing countries, the preparation for the Russia-Africa summit to be held in July 2023 in St Petersburg.

Lavrov and Ramaphosa noted the active interaction between Russia and South Africa in the framework of BRICS, which is chaired by the African country in 2023.

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