Pretoria- Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has concluded his two-day official visit to Turkey with the signing of a joint declaration which commits the two countries on strengthening economic and commercial relations.
Motlanthe arrived in Turkey on Tuesday at the invitation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They committed to promoting and facilitating investments in identified various sectors with the belief that the improvement of commerce and investment is fundamental for sustainable development and the creation of employment.
They will also partner in the areas of national priorities such as poverty, unemployment, agriculture and rural development, education and skills development and mining among others.
On the multilateral front, the two leaders agreed to co-operate in advancing common positions in multilateral institutions.
They also agreed to cooperate within their means to consider positively the candidatures put forward by each country for various positions within the United Nations. The leaders exchanged information developments in their respective regions.
In this regard, the deputy president took the opportunity to express South Africa's support for Turkey's efforts in facilitating the deal brokered by both Turkey and Brazil on Iran's uranium enrichment programme.
Motlanthe who also addressed the Turkey-South Africa Business Forum, noted that the existing levels of trade between South Africa and Turkey are relatively low.
"There is consensus that the current trade between our two countries, valued at 2 billion USD, does not reflect our true potential. Whilst our trade has been focused on the exchange of valuable commodities and raw materials, true benefits lie in the expansion of value added trade.
"The inclusion of products such as vehicles, automotive components in the basket of traded goods is a positive sign of things to come. Beyond trade, there is significant scope for investment, joint ventures and tie-ups in the areas that I have referred to above," said Motlanthe.
The deputy president also said the two countries could cooperate particularly in the energy and mining sectors.
The visit, which was the highest-level visit between the two countries since Erdogan's visit to South Africa in 2005, also offered a unique opportunity for the two sides to share their views on critical issues such as reform of the UN Security Council and intensifying bilateral cooperation at international institutions.
