Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba held talks with the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria.
"In the development of the renaissance of Ukrainian-African relations, Ukraine seeks to elevate cooperation with the Republic of South Africa to a qualitatively new level. We propose a partnership based on mutual respect and benefit. I am pleased that the Government of South Africa shares our aspiration," said Dmytro Kuleba at the beginning of the meeting.
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy informed his South African colleague about the current situation on the front lines and the devastating consequences of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.
In this context, he highly praised South Africa's participation in the efforts to advance President Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula. The minister invited the South African side to take part in the Global Peace Summit, which is currently being developed by Ukraine and its partners.
Dmytro Kuleba separately addressed the issue of the illegal removal of Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.
The ministers paid special attention to the export of Ukrainian grains and food security in Africa. Dmytro Kuleba invited South Africa to join President Zelensky's global humanitarian initiative "Grain from Ukraine."
The talks also focused on the activation of cooperation in the digitalization of state services. Dmytro Kuleba noted that Ukraine is ready to share its advanced experience in creating a "state in a smartphone."
The minister also proposed organizing a business forum in Kyiv in the near future with the participation of businesses from Ukraine and South Africa to increase trade volumes and implement mutually beneficial economic projects.
The ministers also agreed to hold regular political consultations between their respective foreign ministries and senior diplomats.
They separately discussed Ukraine's cooperation with South Africa within the African Union, the intensification of communications with African countries, and Ukraine's participation in African mechanisms for simplified and free trade.
At the conclusion of the talks, a memorandum of cooperation in the field of diplomatic education and research was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa.
Finally, Dmytro Kuleba invited Naledi Pandor to visit Ukraine at a convenient time for her.
