Russia, South Africa develop strategic partnership in diverse areas - Lavrov

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russia and South Africa are adding a new content to their strategic partnership in various spheres, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. The Russian foreign minister made this statement at a meeting with Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in the South African parliament Thandi Modise. "Literally in several months, we’ll be celebrating 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, although, of course, friendly, close and fraternal ties between our peoples have a longer history," Lavrov said. "We remember the struggle of the South African people for independence and we were not simply in support of this struggle but actively helped it," the Russian foreign minister said. After South Africa gained independence, the relations between the two countries progressed to the point when the Russian and South African leaders signed an agreement on strategic partnership in 2012, Lavrov said. Now this strategic partnership "is gaining an ever new content both with regard to deepening bilateral interaction in the trade-economic and humanitarian spheres and as part of international cooperation," he added. The Russian foreign minister also praised the South Africa’s role in contributing to the settlement of conflicts on the African continent and also in developing Russia’s relations with African countries. The chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in the South African parliament thanked Lavrov for the possibility of holding negotiations. "I know that foreign ministers have always a lot of things to do and therefore we are grateful that you have found the possibility for this meeting," she said. Modise said that the South African delegation had already held fruitful negotiations in the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament. "We’re glad that we can discuss such issues with the Russian side as energy cooperation, global warming, the right of peoples to determine their fate themselves," she said. Read more