President Cyril Ramaphosa kicks off his state visit to Saudi Arabia this morning as he is scheduled to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud.
President Ramaphosa arrived in Jeddah this morning for the visit which will present an opportunity for South Africa to increase co-operation.
“The purpose of the State Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is to assess the status of bilateral relations, whilst focusing primarily on strengthening economic linkages between South Africa and Saudi Arabia, particularly in terms of increasing inward investment and diversifying the trade relationship,” the Presidency said on Thursday.
South Africa currently imports approximately 47% of its oil from the Arab country and regards it as a strategic partner in the Middle East.
The country is also a large investor in South Africa, especially in the area of renewable energy.
Total trade amounted to just more than R55 billion in 2017.
To further strengthen trade, investment and economic ties, including business–to –business cooperation between South Africa and Saudi Arabia, a substantive business delegation is accompanying President Ramaphosa on the visit.
President Ramaphosa is also accompanied by Ministers of International Relations and Cooperation; Defence and Military Veterans; Energy, Police and Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. – SAnews.gov.za
