South African and Russian ministers discuss bilateral strategic cooperation

The 17th meeting of the Russia-South Africa Intergovernmental Commission opened on Thursday 30 March in Pretoria, South Africa's capital city. The meeting was chaired by Alexander Kozlov, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, and Naledi Pandor, South African Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

The South African foreign minister stressed the growing role of cooperation between the two countries against the backdrop of global processes.

"Cooperation between South Africa and the Russian Federation is of strategic importance in today's world. Our interaction is extremely important as it strengthens the economic positions of South Africa and Russia"

Naledi Pandor Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of South Africa

Pandor also mentioned that now it is important for South Africa's economy to gain high growth rates as the country is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For his part, the Russian minister said that cooperation between the two countries should be further developed, especially within the framework of inter-state alliances. "We are committed to develop and deepen relations with South Africa, including through BRICS," he said.

According to Kozlov, a comprehensive program of cooperation between Russia and South Africa will be ready by August, as reported by TASS.

The day before senior officials of the two countries discussed the possibility of creating a "geological platform" of the BRICS member states. The platform will enable the bloc's members to share information about mineral reserves and extraction technologies with each other.

Photo: IStock