The World Trade Organisation Doha Round of talk which started five years ago had collapsed, mainly due to the disagreement on modalities by the European Union and the United States on the slashing of huge agricultural subsidies offered to their farmers.
Dr Dlamini-Zuma told the media yesterday although the talks had crumbled, she was confident that another round would be held, saying South Africa had not yet lost hope in the negotiations.
The Doha talks, she said, were “very important to us as a developing country”, noting that the collapse would have a negative impact on developing countries in the long run.
“But I do not think that we can say that this is the end of trade negotiations…it is an initial reaction, we still have to hold talks with our international colleagues in the trade and industry sector to hear what they have to say on the way forward.”
Minister Dlamini-Zuma was speaking at the Joint ITEC Inter-Sessional meeting held at the Diplomatic Guest House in Pretoria.
She was accompanied by her Russian counterpart and ITEC co-chair, Minister Yuri Petrovich Trutnev.
ITEC – the Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Co-operation - is a platform for the South African and the Russian Federation governments to discuss bilateral relations for mutual political and economic interests.
Yesterday’s meeting looked at progress made so far in the implementation of agreed trade deals and identified constraints that needed to be ironed out.
The trade spheres include Minerals and Energy, Trade, Investment and Banking, Science and Technology, Transport - Aviation and Maritime, Social Sector - Health and Education, Agriculture and Water Affairs and Forestry.
South Africa and Russia have established Joint Sub-Committees tasked with overseeing and monitoring implementation.
The two Ministers announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would pay a working visit to South Africa for the first time in September this year.
President Putin would be in the country for three days, from 4 to 6 September.
“This visit will look in our relationship in general…of course it will look into the global issues as well,” said Dr Dlamini-Zuma.
She noted that several bilateral agreements worth “hundreds of millions of dollars would be signed during Mr Putin’s visit.
A South African delegation from the Department of Minerals and Energy will go to Russia in a “few weeks’ time” to explore opportunities in the gas sector there.
“This is the sector we are more interested in,” Dr Dlamini-Zuma said, adding that it was not to be the only field South Africa was going to explore in Russia.
A business forum, scheduled to run parallel to the Russian President’s visit, will also be held among South African business people and their Russian counterparts.
“Investment is a key issue, and we are putting more efforts to strengthen the corporation between us,” said Dr Dlamini-Zuma. – BuaNews
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