The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, will host and co-chair with the Indian Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, Ms Sushma Swaraj, the Ministerial engagement of the ninth session of the South Africa-India JMC in Pretoria on 19 May 2015.
The Ministerial engagement follows the meetings of the Sub-committees over the period of 19 March to 18 May 2015.
The JMC comprises seven Sub-committees involving eleven national departments that focus on the identification, execution and monitoring of projects aimed at further enhancing and supporting relations. The Sub-committees have been constituted to focus on:
1. Political, Defence and Security;
2. Trade, Economic and Technical Cooperation;
3. Communications and Information Technology;
4. Minerals and Energy;
5. Arts and Culture;
6. Human Resource Development; and
7. Consular and Immigration Matters.
During the engagement, the Ministers will review the work of the Sub-committees, as it relates to and supports relations between the two countries. It will be the first such engagement since the coming into power of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India and a number of new and exciting possibilities worthy of special attention have been identified. The Ministers will specifically focus on enabling measures and the way forward.
South Africa and India emphasised that trade relations must be accelerated, given the tremendous opportunities that exist in several key sectors of mutual interest. India is currently South Africa’s third largest trade partner in Asia and ranks amongst South Africa’s top six trade partners.
Our bilateral relations are rooted in a history of friendship and solidarity and have been formalised through three declarations that defines the strategic nature of those relations. The two countries cooperate in a host of regional, continental and global fora, most notable being the BRICS countries (an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA), and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
Enquiries:
Clayson Monyela
Cell: 082 884 5974
