Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma is to attend the 3rd African-European Union Summit next week in Tripoli, Libya.
The two-day summit follows the first summit in Egypt in 2001 and the second in 2007 in Lisbon.
Delegates will discuss concrete ways to create more and inclusive growth, according to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
"South Africa continues to embrace the development and investment-orientated approach to our engagements with the European Union, guided by our national priorities and the South Africa-EU Strategic Partnership," said the department.
It added that during interactions with the developed countries of the north, South Africa sought to identify, build and reinforce mutually beneficial relations to assist in defeating the ills of poverty and support the global development agenda, specifically Africa's developmental priorities.
Heads of State and Government of the two continents will also strengthen their relations to jointly tackle continental and global opportunities and challenges.
It is also a unique opportunity for Africa and Europe to demonstrate their ability to pool their efforts and to reaffirm their ambitious Lisbon commitments. The Joint Africa-EU Strategy's first Action Plan, covering 2008-2010, include eight strategic partnerships.
These are on peace and security, democratic governance and human rights, trade, regional integration and infrastructure, MDGs, energy, climate change, migration, mobility and employment and science, information society and space.
President Zuma will be accompanied by the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies and other senior government officials.
