Issued by: SA Communication Service
The Prime Minister of India, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, will visit South Africa from 5 to 10 October 1997, at the invitation of President Nelson Mandela. The timing of the visit is of great significance since it will take place during the 50th Anniversary of India's Independence.
This visit, the first to South Africa by an Indian Prime Minister, is not only indicative of the close friendship which spans more than a century, but is also intended to cement and further strengthen Indo-South African relations.
Prime Minister Gujral, who will meet President Nelson, Deputy President Thabo Mbeki and Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo, will also address a joint sitting of Parliament on 7 October 1997.
The Prime Minister will be accompanied by the following Ministers: Mr Birendra Prasad Baishya, ,Minister of Steel and Mines, Mr Srikanta Kumar Jena, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Mrs Kamala Sinha, Minister of State for External Affairs.
During the bilateral meeting at Tuynhuys on Tuesday 7 October 1997, Agreements on Cooperation in the fields of Geology ad Mineral Resources and Tourism, as well as a Programme of Cooperation in Science and Technology will be signed.
Following the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1994, the first South African/Indian Joint Commission met in Pretoria in July 1995 and Deputy President Thabo Mbeki paid an official visit to India in December 1996. During this visit he was accompanied by three Cabinet Ministers and three Deputy Ministers and a large business delegation. The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, co-chaired the second South African/India Joint Commission meeting in New Delhi on 2 ad 3 December 1996.
During President Mandela's third visit to India, in March 1997, President Mandela and Prime Minister Gowda signed the Red Ford Declaration on a Strategic Partnership between the two countries. South Africa and India see the Red Ford Declaration as a solid framework for building future relations and reaffirms the two countries' commitment to cooperate with each other to promote economic development. For example, India has valuable skills, technology and experience in the fields of small ad medium enterprises development ad employment generation programmes. While South Africa has skills and technology in the fields of mining and infrastructure development.
The partnership is aimed at working towards a global order marked by peace, security and equality. The two countries will strive towards the realisation of these objectives through constructive cooperation in key multilateral fora such as the Non-aligned Movement (NAM), the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation, the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations Organisation. At global level, this includes, inter alia, shared views about UN reform and what the future role and relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement will be. The latter issue is especially pertinent as South Africa is due to host the 12th NAM summit next year.
To coincide with the visit of Prime Minister Gujral, a twenty-four member business delegation, representing four major Apex Chambers of Commerce of India, will also visit South Africa.
The increase in bilateral trade to just over R2,2billion (US$512 million) at the end of 1996 represents a 55% increase from the previous year. The increase in trade was not a once-off phenomenon since the previous year's trade also increased by a margin of 55%. The current levels of trade are all the more impressive considering that three years earlier this trade averaged as little as US$20 million per annum.
What gives particular strength to commercial ties between the two countries is the fact that the two-way trade covers a very broad range of products including paper pulp, fertilisers, coal, chemicals, iron and steel from South Africa to India; and textiles, leather, machinery and equipment and vegetable products from India to South Africa.
In an effort to cement cultural relations between the two countries, the Indian Prime Minister will visit the Gandhi heritage sites, Tolstoy Farm near Johannesburg and the Phoenix Settlement in Durban. Prime Minister Gujral will also unveil a bronze bust of Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India, at the High Commission of India in Pretoria.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA
2 OCTOBER 1997