Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will today kick off his three-day state visit to Turkey with the aim of strengthening economic and commercial relations with that country.
The South African delegation will engage their Turkish counterparts during a business forum to be held on Tuesday, where Motlanthe will also use this opportunity to invite Turkish companies to invest in South Africa.
The deputy president will also give a lecture at the University Of Ankara on Africa, in celebration of Africa Day organised by African Ambassadors in Ankara.
Before commencing with official bilateral talks, Motlanthe will meet with Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who invited him on the two-day official visit.
"The objectives of the visit are to consolidate and enhance political relations and strengthen cooperation and partnership on education and skills development," the Presidency said in a statement.
Motlanthe, who arrived in Ankara, Turkey on Monday along with six cabinet ministers and a business delegation, will also engage in talks related to the United Nations Security Council and climate change.
South Africa is also drumming up support in its bid to rejoin the UN Security Council, of which Turkey is a non permanent member of the Council.
Motlanthe's visit also comes at a critical juncture during which many important issues are at stake for many countries. Reform in global financial institutions tops the list for both countries, as G-20 members from developing economies.
Both Turkey and South Africa are pretty much on the same page when it comes to new power-sharing schemes in the committees of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Turkey is a strategic European trading partner. In 2008, its exports to South Africa totalled $1.2 billion. South Africa exports gold, coal, automotive products and steel to Turkey.
