Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is in India for a two-day meeting with her Indian and Brazilian counterparts, Ministers Yashwant Sinha and Dr Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim.

This to co-chair the historic India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Trilateral Ministerial Forum. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the IBSA Forum would discuss areas of co-operation as outlined in the historic Brasilia Declaration that heralded the birth of the strategic and historic trilateral forum between South Africa, India and Brazil. "In this regard trilateral co-operation projects in the fields of science and technology, health, transport, tourism, trade and investment, infrastructure, and job creation and SMMEs will be identified during the meeting," said Mamoepa.

The IBSA Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Lula da Silva and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee respectively launched the forum on the parameters of the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 58) in New York in September 2003. During the launch, the three leaders stressed that trilateral co-operation should focus on key areas that would yield results in the short to medium term. The forum also agreed that the three countries would identify best practices that should be showcased as examples to other developing countries.

Meanwhile, South Africa's High Commissioner to New Delhi Maite Nkoane-Mashabane hailed India for being a "true ally and friend" during the country dark days of apartheid, where the majority of black Africans were oppressed. Briefing the Indian government about South Africa's celebrations of the 10 years of democracy in New Delhi yesterday, Commissioner Nkoane-Mashabane said in 1947, India was one of the few countries in the forefront of the liberation struggle against apartheid. "The government of India fought against the evil system of apartheid in South Africa since its inception in all multilateral fora, most notably the United Nations. It also played a midwifery role in the birth of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa. "India was indeed, a true and trusted friend of South African democrats during the blood-drenched years of apartheid and repression," said Nkoane-Mashabane. – BuaNews.