India and South Africa conducted the 11th round of their Foreign Office Consultations on Wednesday, the 3rd of August 2022, in New Delhi. This session of India-South Africa Foreign Office Consultations was co-chaired by Shri Puneet R. Kundal, JS (East & Southern Africa), Ministry of External Affairs and Ms. Ntombizodwa Msutukazi Lallie, Acting Deputy Director-General Asia and the Middle East, Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Republic of South Africa.
India and South Africa revised the entire gamut of bilateral relations covering the political reciprocations between the two countries, issues related to defence, economics and commerce, consular matters, cooperation in the field of health, agriculture, energy and minerals, human resource development, art and culture, sports and the import of Cheetahs from South Africa to be reintroduced in India.
Both India and South Africa reiterated the status of MoUs and agreements currently under negotiation and agreed to further expedite their finalisation for the mutual benefit of both countries. India and South Africa will be completing 30 years of diplomatic ties in the upcoming years. In light of this, both sides decided to celebrate the occasion suitably, both in India and South Africa, through cultural events and sports and other activities.
The bilateral trade between India and South Africa touched $17 billion in the FY 2021-22 which is a significant landmark for both countries. Therefore, both sides expressed satisfaction over this growth in bilateral trade and even agreed on the prominence of further expanding their trade in various sectors.
The two sides also reciprocated views on regional and multilateral issues including cooperation at the UN, BRICS, IBSA and IORA. The South African side assured of extending its support for the upcoming G-20 Presidency of India while the Indian side extended its support for South Africa’s BRICS Chairship in 2023. Both countries also held dialogues on regional issues, global developments and issues of mutual interest including the state of events in Ukraine.
Both India and South Africa agreed to continue the high-level exchanges and regular meetings of the institutional mechanisms such as the Joint Commission and various Joint Working Groups to keep up the momentum in their diplomatic ties. The Indian side also reiterated the invitation to South Africa to join the International Solar Alliance and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
The Foreign Office Consultations were held in a friendly atmosphere and both sides agreed to hold the next edition of Consultations on a mutually convenient date in Pretoria.
