Pretoria - International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim is in Qatar to attend the Fourth Round of Bilateral Consultations, the Department of International Relations says.
The consultations are scheduled to start on Sunday.
Bilateral Consultations between the two countries are convened in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed in May 2002.
The visit will provide an opportunity to engage the Government of Qatar on developments in the region and to review the status of bilateral relations in the fields of trade and industry, energy, tourism and arts and culture, among others.
It is also envisaged that discussions would be held on increased Qatar investment in South Africa and on possible trilateral cooperation in Africa.
The visit to Qatar precedes his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 16 to18 April 2013.
The Deputy Minister’s visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran will take place at the invitation of Dr Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs of Iran, who visited South Africa in May 2012.
The department said one of the main objectives of the visit will be to exchange views between the governments on developments domestically and within our respective regions, to review the implementation of bilateral engagements and to assess the potential for the expansion thereof, particularly in the field of education and environmental affairs.
The visit will further afford the two governments the opportunity to engage on the latest nuclear developments, and human rights fields, with a particular emphasis on exchanging South African best practices on human rights.
Despite the challenging international situation confronting Iran, South Africa attaches significant importance to its bilateral relations with Iran. – SAnews.gov.za
