SA President Zuma on a state visit to Iran
South African President Jacob Zuma will lead a high-level delegation on a State visit to Iran on Sunday and Monday.
Zuma is set to be accompanied by various Cabinet ministers as well as a high-level business delegation.
In a statement from the Presidency, it said Zuma’s visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran would serve to “cement the strong fraternal relations between the two countries that originated during the apartheid era when Iran refused to oil the apartheid machinery and cut ties with apartheid South Africa”.
The Presidency said that in 1994, with the advent of freedom and democracy in South Africa, Iran lifted all sanctions and the two countries re-established diplomatic ties. “Since then, the two countries have enjoyed mutually beneficial, fraternal and strategic relations.”
It said the re-establishment of bilateral relations brought about an increase in trade relations between the two countries although the imposition of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran impacted negatively on trade relations between the two countries.
“At the end of 2011, South Africa imported one third of its domestic oil requirements from Iran, however by June 2012 South Africa could no longer import crude oil from Iran. Overall, South African exports to Iran declined from R1,27 billion in 2008 to R270 million in 2014.
“The forthcoming visit by President Zuma takes place during an opportune moment, following the strong momentum in bilateral relations, including the constructive outcomes of the Official Visit to Iran by the Deputy President of South Africa, H.E. Mr MC Ramaphosa, the 12th Joint Commission meeting in Iran in May 2015, the 6th Deputy Ministerial Working Group visit to Iran in August 2015 and other high-level Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial visits to Iran and South Africa in 2015.
“Furthermore, the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran provides immense potential for closer commercial and investment cooperation between the two countries,” the Presidency added.
It went on to describe the visit as an “important structural catalyst in elevating bilateral and economic relations into a substantive strategic partnership and serves as evidence of the friendly relations between South Africa and the Islamic Republic of Iran based on mutual respect”.