28 March 2000
The Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Rino Serri, will pay an official visit to South Africa from 28 -29 March 2000 after having held discussions with President Dos Santos of Angola in Luanda.
A working lunch between Deputy Minister Aziz Pahad and Senator Serri will take place on 29 March 2000 in Pretoria. Topping the agenda for discussion will be the upcoming EU/Africa Summit from 3-4 April 2000 in Cairo, Egypt. Regional African issues i.e. the situation in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan, as well as the peace process in Burundi and the Ethiopian/Eritrean conflict. Developments within SADC and South Africa's role in this trade regime will also receive attention.
Italy is an important trade and investment partner for South Africa with bilateral trade for 1999 ending the year at R 9.9 billion. Italy ranks as South Africa's 6th biggest investor and 5th most important trading partner. Italian funding for development assistance to South Africa was increased this year to around USD 24 million for 2000-2002. The visit by Deputy Minster Serri will give further impetus to the excellent bilateral relations existing between South Africa and Italy.
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
PRIVATE BAG X 152
Pretoria
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