South Africa is to take up a two-year, non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council from January 1 next year, President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference after talks with visiting Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, he said he is looking forward to closer cooperation with Russia in this regard.
With South Africa on the UN Security Council, the country will need to take a much more detailed position than in the past, and the Russian experience, as a permanent member of the council, will ”help empower us to discharge our responsibilities”.
Putin told the media briefing that the Russian business sector is planning to invest billions of United States dollars in the South African economy.
South African and Russian relations have been evolving and improving dramatically over the past few years.
His visit to South Africa is intended to produce concrete results in various fields of business and economic cooperation, Putin said.
An agreement has been reached between Russia and South Africa to supply the latter with nuclear fuel up to 2010, he said.
He told journalists that a Russian company is planning to invest $1-billion in production of manganese in this country. Putin also said that Russian companies are interested in contributing to power-generation capacity and in an aluminium-smelter project.
Business relations
An agreement to re-enforce business relations between Russia and South Africa will be signed in Cape Town, Business Unity South Africa (Busa) said earlier on Tuesday.
”The agreement is aimed towards the promotion of new initiatives for economic interaction and cooperation between the two countries,” said Busa CEO Jerry Vilakazi.
Mbeki, Putin, Busa president Patrice Motsepe and his Russian counterpart, VK Vekselberg — who is representing the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation — will be present at the signing ceremony on Wednesday morning.
The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs is also expected to be in attendance.
Said Vilakazi: ”The fact that this visit involves the heads of states of the two countries indicates at political level that there is a commitment to enhance and expand economic relations that already exist.”
The agreement will encompass areas of competence in the field of international commercial and maritime arbitration, patenting, protection of intellectual property, and trademark registration.
The aim of the agreement is to promote expansion of trade; economic, scientific, technical and other business ties; and contacts between Russian and South African business, explained Vilakazi.
He said the joint initiative will also include the exchange of information of mutual interest on the economy, foreign trade and changes in trade legislation, trade rules and customs.
The two countries will assist each other in organising seminars on such issues.
Trade between Russia and South Africa saw South Africa exporting goods worth $106,5-million from January to September 2005 and importing goods worth $18,2-million during the same period.
The bulk of exports to Russia are vehicle engines, machines and appliances, as well as fresh fruit.
”Russia presents a huge market of untapped business opportunities and we encourage the dialogue and cooperation that has been going on between BEE [black economic empowerment] companies and some Russian entities through joint ventures.
”We urge business to explore further opportunities and, as Busa, we will help nurture these projects of mutual interest to fruition,” said Vilakazi. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge