Ukrainian minister of foreign affairs Dmytro Kuleba held a telephone conversation with the South African minister of international relations and cooperation Naledi Pandor. This call became the first contact of foreign ministers since 1998.
The ministers agreed to resume a full-fledged bilateral dialogue, hold political consultations between the foreign ministries, trade and scientific and technical cooperation. The parties also discussed the expansion of the legal framework for cooperation in international organizations.
Kuleba offered to the South African side to send a trade mission to Ukraine to develop opportunities for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Restoring dialogue with South Africa will give additional opportunities for Ukrainian companies, in particular in the areas of agriculture and food security, energy, shipbuilding and tourism. Ukrainian minister recalled that the foreign policy strategy of Ukraine pays special attention to the development of relations with the countries of the African continent.
The trade mission of Ukraine to the Republic of South Africa will take place on April 13-18, 2021, it will open up great opportunities for foreign trade and potential cooperation in one of the most promising African markets. South Africa is also called the Switzerland of the African continent, it is a logistics gateway to other African countries. This creates additional opportunities for expanding the geography of exports to other African countries such as Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and Kenya.
