Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
21 October 2001
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma left South Africa on Saturday 20 October to attend the fifth session of the Joint Bilateral Commission between South Africa and Egypt which will be held in Cairo on 21 and 22 October 2001 and will be hosted by the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister Ahmed Maher. The South African delegation includes the Minister of Deputy Minister of Arts Science and Technology and Sport, Ben Ngubane, Bridgette Mabandla and Ncqonde Balfour receptively as well as a business delegation.
The non-governmental sector will be represented by such diverse institutions as Tile Africa/San Afrika, Soekor, the Industrial Development Corporation, and BBM Intelligence to name but a few.
The Joint Bilateral Commission between South Africa and Egypt was established in 1996, as a direct result of the good bilateral relations between the two countries. It is held annually, alternating between South Africa and Egypt. The aim of the Joint Bilateral Commission is to institutionalise the good relations that have been in existence between Egypt and South Africa since official relations were re-established in 1994.
To date fourteen bilateral agreements will be signed at the fifth session in various sectors.
The fifth session of the JBC will be used to inaugurate the Department of Foreign Affairs' policy that agreements should be given content, by means of projects and continuous interaction between the South African and Egyptian counterparts.
It is expected that various projects would be identified during the interactions between the two delegations.
This very important event also addresses the core of what has become a visit towards revival, and by linking the extremities of our continent gives a symbolism to this JBC, emphasising the importance of President Mbeki's vision of an African Renaissance, as encompassed within the New African Initiative.
For further information, contact Mr Ronnie Mamoepa at Cell: 082 990 4853.