Political consultations were held between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of South Africa

On Tuesday, March 14, 2023, the seventh political consultation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of South Africa was held in Pretoria, led by the head of the Sector for Africa and the Middle East in MVEP, Ms Tamara Krupski, and the Chief Director of the Directorate for Central and Eastern Europe and the Nordic and Baltic States in the South African Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, Ms Phumzile Mazibuko.
 
Both sides are interested in expanding cooperation, especially economic cooperation, building on traditionally friendly relations, and reflecting common foreign political interests. Further connections in the fields of tourism, science, education, maritime, electrical industry/energy, and culture were agreed upon, and the legal framework for several bilateral agreements was finalized. We expect the participation of the South African Minister of Tourism Patricia de Lille at the World Sports Tourism Congress on April 26 and 27 in Zadar, as well as the inclusion of South African students in shipbuilding studies at the Zagreb Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Shipbuilding and in courses in Zagreb or South Africa.
 
Views were exchanged on South Africa's global engagement in the context of its current BRICS presidency and membership in the G-20, as well as mediating engagement related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and commitment and contribution to peace, stability, and combating climate change on the African continent. The exceptional potential of the "African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement" for Africa's future structural transformation and long-term development, in line with Agenda 2063, was discussed.
 
From the Croatian side, the interlocutors were given views on the parallelism of the war in Ukraine with the Croatian War of Independence and on current political events and processes in Southeast Europe. On the eve of political consultations, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Pretoria, the Delegation also met with the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Peter Bryan Wells, Secretary of the Nunciature, and Croatian citizen, Msgr. Darius Paviša, and the head of the EU Delegation, Sandra Kramer, presented their views on the main determinants of South Africa's foreign and domestic policy. The Embassy also organized a meeting with the Croatian community in South Africa at the Croatian Catholic Mission of St. Jeronima, headed by Fr. Miron Sikirić, Ph.D.
 
The Croatian delegation included Ambassador HE Ante Cicvarić, Head of Division for Sub-Saharan Africa Ms Aleksandra Kundid, Minister Counsellor Iris Jurić Marijanović, and from the South African side the Director for Central Europe Mr Nkhulu Sebothoma, Political Desk Officer Ms Tsenolo Mhaka and representative of the Ministry of Higher Education and Education Ms Kgomotso Sequels.

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