Pretoria - International Relations Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim is on a working visit to Cyprus, where climate change and support for South Africa's five national priorities are expected to form part of discussions.
Ebrahim left for Cyprus on Sunday at the invitation of Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Political Consultations is also expected, while Ebrahim is also due to pay a courtesy call on President Dimitris Christofias and the new President of the Cypriot Parliament Yiannakis Omirou.
Diplomatic relations between South Africa and the Republic of Cyprus began in December 1993. Cyprus has given substantial support to South African candidates for positions in the UN system. The foreign policy of Cyprus is fundamentally similar to that of South Africa regarding Iraq, UN reform, free trade and environmental issues, among others.
"The deepening of relations between South Africa and Cyprus on a bilateral and multilateral level would be to the mutual advantage of both states," the department's spokesperson Clayson Monyela said.
