Pretoria – International Relations Minister Dr Naledi Pandor has arrived in the US where she will address the Council on Foreign Relations and hold a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Washington DC.
“The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, has arrived in Washington DC, ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with President Joseph Biden, which will take place on (Friday) September 16, 2022 at the White House,” said Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) spokesperson Clayson Monyela.
“This afternoon, September 14, 2022, at 12.30, Minister Pandor will address the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). The CFR is a think-tank, non-partisan organisation, which serves government officials, business executives, journalists, educators, students, civil and religious leaders and other interested parties to better understand the world and foreign policy choices faced by the United States and other countries,” he said.
Monyela said some of the high-profile people who have recently addressed the CFR include Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Foreign Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland.
On Thursday, Pandor will have a bilateral meeting with her US counterpart, Blinken.
“South Africa and the United States enjoy historic and cordial relations. The US is a major export market for South Africa, a significant source of foreign direct investment (FDI), technology transfer, development assistance and tourism.
“Trade and investment relations take place under the auspices of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which grants duty-free and quota-free access to the US market for value-added products. AGOA has created jobs in both South Africa and the US and is thus mutually beneficial.
“Over the years, two-way trade between South Africa and the United States has been on the increase. The United States is South Africa’s third largest trading partner (after the People’s Republic of China and the European Union), with more than 600 United States companies operating within our borders,” said Monyela.
In 2021, the US ranked as the second largest destination for South Africa’s exports globally.
“South African firms have also become significant foreign investors in the United States. Investments from South Africa into the United States are on the increase, with the United States accounting for 17.4% of total South African outward FDI to the world, according to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC),” said Monyela.
Last month, Blinken landed at Lanseria Airport, in Gauteng as part of his five-nation tour, which also took him to Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
During his visit, Blinken extended the invitation for Ramaphosa to visit the US.
IOL