Pretoria - South Africa and Iran today took their bilateral relations a step further as they co-chaired the 11th Session of the Joint Commission (JC) of the two countries.
The JC, which was co-chaired by International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Pretoria, reviewed bilateral relations and discussed various issues of multilateral concern, including on peace and security issues, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.
“We have looked at specific areas of cooperation, the outcomes of which can only benefit both economies. At the private sector level, the future indicates greater exchanges on both goods and services of the two countries,” said Nkoana-Mashabane.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Nkoana-Mashabane said Iran occupied a special place for the role it played in South Africa’s liberation struggle and that the two countries share similarities.
“Our two countries share compatible economies that can benefit from greater trade, skills transfer, technology research and development.”
Nkoana-Mashabane said Iran, which is also a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and current chair of the organisation, continued to champion the cause of developing countries.
“The Islamic Republic is a critical country in the Middle East Region, whose influence needs to be recognised as being essential to the resolutions of the challenges in the region.”
South Africa also welcomed the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 [United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France, plus Germany].
“We are hopeful of positive outcomes of these talks, since it will open avenues for the people of Iran to exercise their political, economic and social ingenuity, thus making the world more peaceful and prosperous,” said Nkoana-Mashabane. – SAnews.gov.za
