Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
The Minister President of the Walloon Region of Belgium, Mr Robert Collignon will lead a trade delegation to South Africa from 8 to 14 November 1998. He will also be accompanied by parliamentarians who will meet with national and provincial parliamentarians.
Mr Collignon will hold discussions on trade and investment and other issues of mutual interest with the ministers of Transport and of Public Works, as well as the Governor of the Reserve Bank. further, he will be visiting KwaZulu/Natal where he will meet the Premier and Belgian investors.
This visit will be the first by a senior Wallonian politician to South Africa and will serve to further strengthen bilateral links with this Belgian region. It should also provide further momentum to the extensive bilateral relations in general between South Africa and Belgium.
Belgium is one of South Africa's major economic partners with direct foreign investment exceeding R2 billion and total trade amounting to R5,9 billion during 1997.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA