On 6 November, Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba held his first talks with his South African counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor, Kuleba said in X (known as Twitter).
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this meeting aimed to bring the two countries’ relationship “to a qualitatively new level.”
The ministers discussed cooperation within the African Union, intensifying communications with African countries, and Ukraine’s participation in African free trade.
After the talks, the foreign ministers signed a memorandum on developing cooperation in diplomatic education and research between their departments.
“We offer a partnership based on mutual respect and benefit. And I am glad that the South African government shares our desire,” Kuleba said at the meeting.
Kuleba invited South Africa to take part in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Peace Summit, which Ukraine and its partners are currently working on.
Kuleba and Pandor also discussed Ukraine’s grain exports, food security in Africa, the situation in the Middle East, and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, agriculture, and digitalization.
Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs also proposed his South African counterpart hold a business forum in Kyiv with companies from both countries to increase trade and implement mutually beneficial economic projects.
According to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, Naledi Pandor now is better aware of Russia’s crime war deporting Ukrainian children, the current situation on the frontline and the devastating consequences of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
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