Pretoria – International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has poured scorn on media reports claiming there were unresolved tensions between South Africa and France.
This comes ahead of an official visit to South Africa by French President Fraçois Hollande next week.
“Since his election, President Hollande has met with President Zuma on several occasions on the margins of multilateral meetings, and exchanged telephone calls reflecting on pertinent bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual concern,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
South Africa and France share cordial and warm relations, characterised by mutual respect.
The minister pointed out that a number of French companies had made significant investment in South Africa worth more than R15 billion.
Almost 300 French companies were present in South Africa, employing some 25 000 South Africans.
There was deepening collaboration between France and South Africa in areas of defence, deployment cooperation, science and technology, arts and culture, energy and agriculture.
France was South Africa’s third largest trading and investment partner within the European Union.
“Tourism flows from France to South Africa continue to grow. In 2012, up to 122 000 French tourists visited South Africa, representing a 16% increase compared to the previous year,” added the minister.
President Hollande will be in South Africa on 14 and 15 October.
Meanwhile, Nkoana-Mashabane said South Africa has increased its influence in the BRICS grouping since it hosted the bloc’s summit in Durban earlier this year.
Pretoria became the chair of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa group of most developing economies when it hosted the first summit since joining in 2011.
“The key outcomes that we projected for the Summit were successfully achieved, i.e. the agreement to establish the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement; the launch of the BRICS Business Council and BRICS Think Tanks Council as well as the first BRICS dialogue with another region, i.e. the BRICS Leaders-Africa Dialogue Forum,” Nkoana-Mashabane said.
The group has identified areas for cooperation in areas such as:
- BRICS Public Diplomacy Forum
- BRICS Anti-Corruption Cooperation
- BRICS State Owned Companies/State Owned Enterprises
- National Agencies Responsible for Drug Control
- BRICS Virtual Secretariat
- BRICS Youth Policy Dialogue
- Tourism
- Energy
- Sports and Mega Sporting Events
– SAnews.gov.za
