Deputy President Thabo M Mbeki will be on an official visit to Russia, Sweden and France from 21 to 28 November 1998. The Deputy President's delegation will include Deputy Minister Essop Pahad, Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad, and the Rev Frank Chikane.
Deputy President Thabo Mbeki will pay an official visit to the Russian Federation from 22 - 24 November 1998 at the invitation of the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Evgeny Primakov. The Deputy President will be accompanied by the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Mr Penuell Maduna, the Minister of Finance, Mr Trevor Manuel, the Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad as well as delegations from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.
While in Moscow Deputy President Mbeki will meet with Prime Minister Evgeny Primakov with whom he is expected to discuss issues of bilateral concern including trade and scientific cooperation. The Deputy President will also meet the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Alexi II and brief the chairpersons and representatives of the State Duma and Federation Council of the Russian Parliament.
Agreements on the Promotion and Protection of Reciprocal Investments, Sport and Tourism as well as a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in the Geo-Sciences will be signed during the visit.
The Deputy President will address the prestigious Russian Academy of Sciences on the expansion of scientific cooperation between South Africa and Russia and also the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs regarding the possibilities for trade and investment in South Africa. Although trade between South Africa and Russia has not reached its full potential, it is growing steadily. Total trade between South Africa and Russia for 1997 showed an increase of 53% over the previous year. South Africa imported goods to the value of R 152 million during this period and exported R 594 million worth of goods to Russia.
The Deputy President will leave Russia for Sweden on 24 November 1998. The Deputy President's visit to Stockholm at the invitation of the Swedish Prime Minister, Goran Person, from 24 November to 26 November is part of the ongoing process of developing close working relations between Sweden and South Africa. Attention will be given to the African Renaissance and how Sweden's "Partnership Africa Policy" can support it. Bilateral political and economic relations as well as regional and international issues will be discussed during his visit.
Deputy President Mbeki is scheduled to have meetings with the Swedish Prime Minister, Goran Person, the Swedish Vice Prime Minister, Lena Hjelm-Wallen, and the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anna Lundh. Deputy President Mbeki and Mrs Mbeki will also pay a courtesy call on King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia.
Deputy President Mbeki will address the Swedish International Development Cooperation Forum on Swedish development cooperation in South Africa, the region and Africa. The Deputy President is also scheduled to have in-depth discussions with a core group of representatives of Swedish industry and business on trade and investment opportunities for South Africa and Sweden.
Deputy President Mbeki will lead the South African delegation to the 20th Africa/France Summit in Paris from 26-28 November 1998. Deputy President Mbeki also led the South African delegation that participated in the 18th summit, held in 1994 in Biarritz. The theme of this year's summit is Security in Africa. Deputy President Mbeki will address the summit on the topic of Security and Development.
Mr Mbeki will also meet with French President Jacques Chirac and French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. He has further been invited to address the French Institute for International Affairs.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad will accompany the Deputy President. He will also hold discussions with the French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine.
Senior officials who constitute an expert group on international matters of mutual concern, inter alia on Africa, in terms of the South African/Franco Forum for Political Dialogue, will meet in the aftermath of the summit.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA 20 NOVEMBER 1998