SA-Iran partnership a ‘priority’
THE Iran-South Africa bilateral meeting got under way in Pretoria yesterday.
“I would like to reassure the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Republic of South Africa regards our relationship with you as a priority,” Minister of International Relations and Co-operation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane told her counterpart, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
The last time the two foreign ministers met, in Tehran in May 2015, Nkoana-Mashabane had made a point of saying that Iran was South Africa’s second home.
The bilateral that commenced yesterday suggests that the relationship has gone from strength to strength. The joint commission between the two countries is meeting for the 13th time, indicative of the consistency of the mutual commitment to building relations.
Five months since the last joint commission, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa made an official visit to Iran, further elevating the profile of relations culminating in the state visit by President Jacob Zuma in April last year.
Zuma’s visit committed the two countries to convert the strong fraternal and cordial relations into tangible projects, particularly in the trade, investment and economic arenas.
The agenda for this week’s meeting ranges from tracking progress in normalising trade, investment and financial relations with Iran in the post-sanctions era, to furthering co-operation on science and technology, skills development and infrastructure development.
Six agreements are ready for signature or at an advanced stage of completion, and it’s hoped they will be signed during President Hassan Rouhani’s envisaged state visit to South Africa soon.
“I would like to applaud Iran for remaining committed to the directives of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Agreement. Since the deal was signed in January 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency has consistently stated that Iran is in full compliance with it,” Mashabane said. “I assure Iran that South Africa supports the JCPOA.”