with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson
11 January 2009
Pretoria â Deputy President Baleka Mbete will tomorrow, Monday, 12 January
2009, hold bilateral political, trade and economic discussions with the Deputy
Prime Minister of Sweden, Maud Olofsson, at the Union Buildings in
Pretoria.
Deputy President Mbete will participate in the meeting within the context of
South Africaâs commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with Sweden
by amongst others consolidating the outcomes of the 2007 Binational Commission
(BNC).
The meeting on Monday will also seek to achieve Swedish support of the
African Agenda and to promote economic relations, with special emphasis on
investment.
Deputy Prime Minister Olofsson, who has been in South Africa on a private
holiday in Gauteng and the Western Cape, requested the meeting with Deputy
President Mbete to establish contact as they are the co-chairs of the South
AfricanâSwedish BNC.
Sweden will also take over the rotating Presidency of the European Union
(EU) in July 2009 when the Czech Republicâs term ends.
Bilateral relations
South Africa and Sweden share close relations dating back centuries, and
Sweden and other Nordic countries provided crucial support to the
anti-apartheid struggle.
In this regard an immense amount of development co-operation funding was
channelled to the liberation movements and support was given in many different
forms, including taking in many exiles.
Since 1994 the development co-operation was given on a
government-to-government basis with far over a billion rand being allocated
over the past fourteen years, covering a range of support to central
government, provincial and local authorities as well as non-governmental
organisations (NGOs).
The Swedish government has made it a priority commitment to build up a
partnership with South Africa as part of the Swedish Governmentâs Africa
policy. Sweden has also indicated that it will be transforming its development
co-operation relations with South Africa, with a greater emphasis in future on
a partnership with South Africa in joint trilateral projects regionally in
Africa.
The South Africa-Sweden BNC was established in 2000 and has since met in
2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The next meeting has been postponed to early 2010
due to Swedenâs Presidency of the EU in the latter half of 2009.
Bilateral trade
The trade balance between South Africa and Sweden continues to be heavily in
Swedenâs favour. The main trade sectors, both in imports and exports, include
manufactured goods, machinery, automotive and transport goods, mining
equipment, and chemicals and fuel products.
South African exports to Sweden have increased from R1 046 906 000 in 2000
to R2 720 555 705 between January and September 2008, while imports from Sweden
increased from R2 902 935 000 in 2000 to R10 126 040 425 between January and
September 2008.
Enquiries: Nomfanelo Kota
Cell: 082 4593787
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
11 January 2009
