Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
9 March 2001
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Dlamini Zuma will lead a delegation to New Delhi for the 4th Joint Commission Meeting between South Africa and India on 13 and 14 March 2001. The delegation will include Minister B Ngubane of DACST, several Directors General and other senior officials of Government Departments. These include Foreign Affairs, Art, Culture, Science and Technology, Health, Housing, Minerals and Energy, Public Service and Administration, Tourism (Env & Tourism) and Trade and Industry.
The Joint Commission will be co-chaired by the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Jaswant Singh. During the visit, the Minister will meet the Indian Prime Minister, Mr A B Vajpayee and several other Ministers and political party leaders and she will also address the Indian Chambers of Industries and the Indian Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industries. Minister Ngubane will meet his counterparts.
The objectives of the Joint Commission meeting cover a broad spectrum. The Meeting will serve to further consolidate co-operation between the two countries in promoting the interests of the South, the developing countries, through several means, including the formation of the G7 of the South. The Indian government will be briefed on the Millennium African Program (MAP) and the South African views on the Africa Renaissance. India has vast experience in areas of education, healthcare, IT, rural development, small and medium enterprise promotion and peacekeeping and these areas all relate to the MAP.
Trade between the two countries is approaching R4 billion and it is in South Africa's favour. The visit will also serve to promote further expansion of trade and investment and tourism into South Africa. Jewellery making, arts and crafts, tourism promotion activities, mining and energy and other areas of joint economic activity will also be the focus. An important matter is in the areas of IT and ICT. India has developed an advanced software industry, both in teaching IT and in applications. This very successful experience can have lessons for South Africa and Africa in areas of communications, literacy, healthcare, education and scientific development. The digital divide between developed and developing countries and bridging it will be a very important focus for the future and interaction with India is therefore important.
A number of agreements in the areas of housing, air services, investment protection, merchant shipping, health and medicines, IT and mining and energy are also in the process of being negotiated and these will be receiving attention during the Meeting. Memoranda of Understanding in areas of arts and culture and science and technology co-operation have already been negotiated and are likely to be signed by Minister Ngubane. In this respect the broad area of production, importation and development of pharmaceuticals for the combating of infectious and tropical diseases will also be discussed in view of India's particular experience and production capacity.
India is one of the world's largest economies and the largest democracy. The two countries have signed the Red Fort Declaration on a strategic partnership between India and South Africa and the Joint Commission will be step towards further consolidation of the maturing relationship between the two countries.
For Further Information Please Contact Robert Mcbride on 082-459-3787.