Pretoria - South Africa and Niger are satisfied with the warm and fraternal bilateral relations that exist between the two countries.
This comes after bilateral consultations between International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and her counterpart Aichatou Boulama Kane.
During their official talks, the two Ministers reviewed a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
“Both Ministers underscored the bonds of friendship that exist between the two countries, founded on shared values of mutual respect, commitment to democracy, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights,” the two sides said in a joint statement.
The two ministers used the two-day talks to welcome the decision to broaden cooperation to new sectors, including strategic minerals, health and economic and trade matters.
In this regard, a technical team from the Niger Ministry of Mines has been invited to visit South Africa and a technical team from the South African National Institute of Communicable Diseases will visit Niger soon to evaluate cooperation possibilities.
Training for Niger health experts in South Africa is also foreseen.
Concerning the security situation in the sub-region, Minister Nkoana-Mashabane and Kane expressed similar views in relation to the fight against international terrorism particularly the fight against extremist activities against Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Minister Nkoana-Mashabane concluded her visit with a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Niger, Brigi Rafini. – SAnew.gov.za
