Your Excellency, Mr Jan Björklund, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sweden,
Your Excellency, Mr Anders Hagelberg, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to Republic of South Africa,
Your Excellency, Ms Marasha, South African Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers present,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Deputy Prime Minister, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you and your delegation to our country. Your visit serves to strengthen and cement the warm and fraternal relations that exist between our countries. South Africa and Sweden share common values of democracy, respect for human rights and social justice.
As we prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of our fledgling democracy next year, we will also acknowledge that we have made great strides towards creating a better life for all our people and will say with much confidence that our country is today better than the one we inherited.
We are however all too aware that much is still to be done to address the obstinate challenges of underdevelopment, poverty, inequality and unemployment that our country is faced with.
Having shared a rich history of support with Sweden, we continue to count you as a reliable partner not only for our socio-economic development but also for the creation of a humane and well-managed world.
Your Excellency,
Since the last meeting of the Bi-national Commission in Stockholm in 2011, the South African government has adopted a National Development Plan 2030 (NDP) which outlines development strategies that focus on skills development, youth employment and industrialisation.
This National Development Plan presents new opportunities for greater economic co-operation between our countries. In this regard, the Bi-national Commission’s political and economic working groups that have been preparing for this meeting have identified key areas for further co-operation.
Their reports will direct the path for our future co-operation especially in the fields of trade and investment, ICT, energy, science and technology, skills development and in maritime. Maritime is one of the areas that represent new vistas for greater economic activity.
We have, for example, skills shortages in the areas of shipping, ports and logistics; offshore oil and gas mining; vessel construction and maintenance as well as maritime tourism.
Sweden has a well-developed maritime sector and we are encouraged by the co-operation between the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and their Swedish counterparts on a Maritime Skills Development Programme.
We are also pleased that through this programme, 26 postgraduate South African students have been awarded scholarships to study at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo Sweden.
Our positive bilateral relations also extend to other multilateral mechanisms such as the European Union strategic partnership, transformation of the United Nations and other platforms for co-operation.
Your Excellency,
With these few words of welcome, allow me to express my good wishes for positive deliberations that will take our constructive and fruitful relations forward. I now invite my co-chairperson, Deputy Prime Minster Mr Jan Björklund to address us.
I thank you!
