The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, will host the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic, Professor Augusto Santos Silva, for bilateral consultations in Pretoria on Friday.
“The visit is part of a series of high-level engagements between South Africa and Portugal, and follows the meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal in Maputo on 15 January, where the two leaders attended the inauguration of the President of Mozambique, Felipe Nyusi,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said in a statement on Thursday.
South Africa and Portugal maintain a substantial, diverse and historic relationship.
“Strong bonds exist between the people of the two countries, aided in no small measure by the large number of South African nationals, who are of Portuguese descent. While we value them as South Africans, their family and cultural relationships contribute to fostering close people-to-people relations,” DIRCO said.
At an official level, relations are managed through Bilateral Consultations at the level of the Deputy Minister. The last one took place in Tshwane on 2 August 2019.
“At that time, the ways in which cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, agriculture and agro-processing, oceans economy, education, arts and culture, science and technology, tourism and development assistance can be enhanced were discussed, and specific follow-up actions identified,” DIRCO said.
Some of these projects will be among the issues that the Ministers will discuss during their deliberations.
The two countries also maintain a strong economic relationship.
Bilateral trade reached R6.3 billion in 2019, a 4% increase on the year before, while the number of Portuguese tourists visiting South Africa had reached 30 235 during the 12 to the end of November 2019. – SAnews.gov.za
