Africa-Guinea Conakry Joint Commission of Co-operation held in Pretoria
24 November 2006
The inaugural session of the Joint Commission of Co-operation (JCC) between
the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the
Republic of Guinea was held in Pretoria, South Africa from 23 to 24 November
2006. The session took place within the context of the historic relations of
friendship, solidarity and co-operation between the two countries and in follow
up to the working visits to the Republic of Guinea by Dr N Dlamini Zuma and
President T Mbeki in November 2005 and July 2006, respectively.
The South African delegation to this inaugural session was led by Her
Excellency Dr N Dlamini Zuma, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
South Africa, while His Excellency Mr Mamady Conde, Minister of State in charge
of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Republic of Guinea,
led his country's delegation.
His Excellency, Mr Mamady Conde was accompanied by His Excellency Mr Alpha
Ibrahima Keira, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Guinea and a
delegation of senior officials representing a number of Guinean government
ministries.
In her opening remarks, Her Excellency Dr N Dlamini Zuma recalled the
successful working visit to Guinea by President T Mbeki during which the two
Heads of State implored their respective governments to accelerate the pace of
co-operation between the two countries. In line with the above, Her Excellency
Dr N Dlamini Zuma requested the various JCC Working Groups to put in place a
Programme of Action to consolidate and solidify the levels of co-operation.
In his response, His Excellency Mr Mamady Conde recalled the historic
relations of friendship and brotherhood that have always existed between the
South African and Guinean people and underlined the necessity of developing and
diversifying these relations in accordance with the political will expressed by
the two Heads of State, Their Excellencies Mr Thabo Mbeki and General Lansana
Conte.
During the session, bilateral consultations were held within the context of
Working Groups in the following areas:
* communications
* education
* trade and industry
* transport
* foreign affairs
* mines and energy.
The Minutes of the Working Groups as well as their Programme of Action are
attached to this Communique, of which they form an integral part.
The two Heads of Delegation urged their respective officials to develop the
necessary plans for the implementation of the projects identified thus far
within the various sectors of co-operation and committed their governments to
the promotion of partnerships between the private sectors of the two
countries.
In this regard, the parties agreed to examine the options involved in the
creation of a South Africa-Guinea Business Forum. In this regard, they
particularly welcomed the steps taken towards developing the necessary legal
framework and putting in place mechanisms and programmes aimed at exploiting
the various identified areas of co-operation.
The expeditious holding of the inaugural session of the Joint Commission of
Co-operation was also heralded as a sign of their commitment to strengthen the
bonds of co-operation between the two countries. The two Heads of Delegation
agreed that the proposed Programmes of Action represented a concrete
development in the expansion of bilateral relations between the two countries
and expressed their desire to see the progress made in this regard to be
reviewed during the next session of the Joint Commission.
The two Heads of Delegation also welcomed the finalisation of the Agreement
on the waiver of visas for diplomatic and official passport holders of the two
countries as a positive step towards facilitating exchanges between their
respective governments. The Heads of Delegation urged the participants in the
JCC to be proactive and to focus on implementing the decisions taken by this
session in order to ensure concrete progress in all the sectors of
co-operation.
The discussions took place in a friendly and cordial atmosphere reflecting
the bonds of friendship between the two countries. Both sides affirmed their
readiness to implement the decisions of the inaugural session of the Joint
Commission of Co-operation between South Africa and Guinea with a view to
further improve co-operation between the two countries.
The two sides agreed that a second session of the Joint Commission of
Co-operation will be held in Conakry in 2008 on a mutually agreed date.
At the end of his visit, His Excellency Mr Mamady Conde expressed his
satisfaction and profound gratitude to Her Excellency Dr N Dlamini Zuma and the
government and people of South Africa for their warm welcome and hospitality
extended to him and his delegation.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
24 November 2006
Source: SAPA
