Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
MEDIA STATEMENT ON VISIT BY FOREIGN MINISTER ALFRED NZO TO THE FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ETHIOPIA: 4-6 MARCH 1998
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Alfred Nzo, will pay an official visit to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia from 4-6 March 1998, at the invitation of his Ethiopian counterpart, Mr Seyoum Mesfin.
During his visit Minister Nzo will meet with President of Ethiopia, Dr Negaso Gidada and Prime Minister, Mr Melez Zenawi. Minister Nzo will also hold bilateral meetings with this counterpart, Minister Mesfin, as well as with the Ministers of Trade and Industry, Science and Technology, Economic Cooperation & Development and Agriculture, following which the following agreements will be signed: a Trade Promotion Agreement, a Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Wildlife Management and a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural fields.
During the first-ever official visit by a Ethiopian Minister to South Africa in May 1997, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Mesfin signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement with Minister Mac Maharaj, a General Declaration of Intent on the Promotion of Political Relations with Minister Nzo and a Declaration of Intent regarding Cooperation in the fields of Agriculture and the Food Processing Industry with Minister Derek Hanekom.
Ethiopia is a country that steadfastly supported the struggle to free South Africa from apartheid. This affinity with South Africa and the fact that the Organisation of African Unity and the United Nations' Economic Commission for Africa both have their Headquarters in Addis Ababa, places further importance on sound bilateral relations between the two countries.
Since official diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in March 1994, political and economic relations have steadily improved. Ethiopia offers a potential market of 57 million people for South African goods. South Africa's main exports to Ethiopia include vegetable products, prepared foodstuffs, chemical products, base metals, machinery and mechanical appliances. Numerous South African companies have also invested or are in the process of investing in Ethiopia. Recent examples include JCI's recent signing of a R5 million mineral exploration joint venture agreement with an Ethiopian company. South African Breweries have recently entered into a joint venture agreement with a local Ethiopian company to set up a brewery in Ethiopia, at a cost of approximately US$ 50 million.
With more than US$ 2,5 billion having been made available by the international community, Ethiopia is currently engaged in a massive reconstruction and development programme which presents attractive opportunities for South African companies to explore.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 4 MARCH 1998