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Date : 03/07/2003
Source: Department of Foreign Affairs
Title: Minty: Opening remarks at SA-India Joint Ministerial Commission


OPENING REMARKS BY THE ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, ABDUL MINTY, AT THE SOUTH AFRICA-INDIA JOINT MINISTERIAL COMMISSION, Presidential Guesthouse, Pretoria, 3 July 2003

The Secretary of Economic Affairs of the Republic of India, Mr Shashank, distinguished members of the Indian and South African delegations.

In the absence of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, South Africa's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mr Yashwant Sinha, India's Minister of External Affairs, who could not be with us on this opening day, it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to this fifth South Africa-India Joint Ministerial Commission.

Mr Secretary, it is my sincere hope that you and members of your delegation will have a pleasant stay in South Africa and that our collective deliberations will be fruitful and will continue to reflect the positive and substantive nature of the South Africa-India strategic partnership.

In looking back on the ten years of South Africa's diplomatic relationship with India, which was elevated to the level of strategic partnership with the signing of the Red Fort Declaration in 1997, our diplomatic relationship has probably never been pursued as positively and pro-actively as at the present time. Only a month ago our two countries entered into the newly constituted tripartite India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum. The convening of this fifth Joint Ministerial Commission provides yet another opportunity to take our relationship forward, positively and for mutual benefit.

The fact that India and South Africa have a long history of South-South relations, and therefore extended that to another region (although we do have those links with different countries in the Non-Aligned Movement as well) signifies the extent to which our normal policies in building South-South relations has now developed into this new level through dialogue.

Mr Secretary, our bilateral relationship is showing the dividends of our respective diplomatic and economic investments. India is a strategic partner in all respects and is currently our sixth largest trade partner in the Asian region. Trade between South Africa and India has also steadily increased during the past three years. In addition, there is much activity and co-operation between our two countries in the lucrative minerals and energy sector. There is also an ongoing programme of people-to-people co-operation, particularly in the field of arts and culture, with a variety of Indian cultural groups visiting South Africa. More recently, the South African High Commission in New Delhi embarked upon a yearlong commemoration of the ten-year diplomatic relationship between our two countries, which included performances in India of the successful South African musical production "African Footprint". In many other fields there are ongoing programmes as well as new opportunities that can take our bilateral relationship to new heights and successes.

This fifth Joint Ministerial Commission provides an essential forum in which to discuss our existing and future relationship. Tomorrow we will be joined by our respective Ministers and I have no doubt that the work we accomplish today, and the deliberations of tomorrow, will confirm, in a positive and substantive manner, that the South Africa-India strategic partnership is strong, energetic and forward-looking.

We are all aware of the long strategic alliance that has existed over many decades between the people and government of India and the people of South Africa.

Indeed, this is symbolised by the involvement of Mahatma Ghandi in the South African struggle itself, and then having experimented with Satyagraha and developed it into a very powerful force, and also used that very instrument and method to assist in the decolonisation not only of India, but also of the sub-continent.

That process of ending British colonial rule eventually encouraged liberation struggles globally, and was a very important part of our joint history.

So, our historical alliance relationship is part of our ten-year relationship, and I think we do have to recollect this when we speak of 10 years as a very short period, it would indeed have been strange if the government of India had had relations with the apartheid regime.

Therefore, we are not new to each other. We are familiar with each other and have participated in many struggles and other historical relationships.

To that extent, we do not need to speak of any new relationship that is perhaps just a decade old, but one that spans many, many decades and has been built into this solid relationship which allowed us then to have diplomatic relations at the level now seen.

Mr Secretary, I look forward to working with you.

Issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs, 3 July 2003

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