President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have used his official visit to deepen bilateral relations for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
President Ramaphosa hosted President Zelenskyy at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Thursday, marking the first official visit by a Ukrainian head of state to South Africa.
“This is a historic visit. This is the first time the head of state of Ukraine is visiting South Africa in the 33 years since we established formal diplomatic relations,” said Ramaphosa.
“We acknowledge with great appreciation the support we received from Ukraine during our liberation struggle. We recall that a number of exiled South Africans received training and education in Ukraine,” he said.
Ramaphosa visited Zelenskyy in Kyiv as part of the African Peace Initiative in June 2023.
Since then, he said they had maintained ongoing dialogue.
“We have just concluded successful talks during which we exchanged views on how to consolidate and deepen the bilateral relations between our two countries. We noted a growing interest in expanding relations in peace diplomacy, post-conflict reconstruction and development, and the empowerment of women,” Ramaphosa said.
“We also discussed opportunities for cooperation in areas such as agriculture, trade, education, infrastructure and social exchanges.”
Ramaphosa added that ministers from both countries had held discussions on strengthening trade and investment opportunities, including opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness.
“We acknowledge the significant strides that Ukraine has taken, in particular the efforts of President Zelenskyy to expand relations with the African continent.
“We note the provision of grain in areas of food stress in West and East Africa, the expansion of agricultural cooperation, and the opening of a grain hub at the Port of Mombasa in Kenya,” he said.
“Our engagement today was an opportunity to discuss our shared interest in advancing peace, security, stability and sustainable development on the continent, in Ukraine and across the world.
“We have reinforced our common commitment to respect the rule of law in international relations, multilateralism, the central role of the United Nations in global governance, and the maintenance of global peace and security,” he said.
Zelenskyy noted South Africa’s presidency of the Group of 20 (G20), saying he strongly counted on the group’s role in defending peace.
He proposed the creation of a joint mineral hub between Ukraine and South Africa to facilitate the production and transport of fertilisers, supporting the broader southern African region.
“Our bilateral agenda is also very important. Ukraine is keenly interested in energy security matters and fertiliser production. We are ready to work with the South Africans to build more modern production facilities in your country for a more resilient power sector,” he said.
Zelenskyy added that opportunities for cooperation in the agricultural sector could significantly enhance bilateral trade.
“Ukraine offers South Africa (the opportunity) to have a joint mineral hub to produce and transport fertilisers to support the whole of your region. There are potential projects in the agricultural sector. This can lead to better bilateral trade results between Ukraine and South Africa.”
He said Ukraine was also ready to work together to develop modern security systems for national parks, urban environments, and other areas requiring advanced technological solutions.
Zelenskyy expressed Ukraine’s willingness to partner with South Africa to boost power generation, ranging from nuclear energy to affordable renewables.
“We are also ready to work together to drastically increase power generation in your country, from atomic energy to renewable energy. Affordable energy has always contributed to economic growth, and I've already tasked my professional team to look into a joint project between our countries,” he said.
He presented Ramaphosa with a list of 400 Ukrainian children reportedly being held against their will in Russia.
He acknowledged South Africa’s role as co-leader of the global coalition to bring Ukrainian children home and expressed hope that President Ramaphosa would assist in securing their return.
“I presented President Ramaphosa with a list of 400 Ukrainian children. It's very important for us to look after them. We need to get them back. I truly hope that President Ramaphosa will help us to bring them home indeed.
“I'd like to thank you for this visit, for the opportunity to meet you. We strongly believe that the President, South Africa, and all other partners in Africa will help us to...[get Russia] to engage in a full-scale ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said. – SAnews.gov.za
