South Africa and Germany are Strategic Partners
Pictured (r-l) Deputy Minister of Dirco Alvin Botes, Bundestag Member Nils Schmid, German Ambassador Andreas Peschke, Bundestag Member Bettina Lugk and supporting staff (photo: Dirco)
13 August 2024
The South African Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Alvin Botes, met representatives of the German Bundestag on Wednesday, 7 August 2024, in Pretoria.
The meeting with Mr Nils Schmid, Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in the Bundestag, and Ms Bettina Lugk, Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs for the SPD in the Bundestag, took place in the context of the two countries’ endeavour to forge closer political, diplomatic, economic and trade ties.
The SPD is the largest party in Germany’s governing coalition and a member of eleven of the sixteen State (Provincial) Governments in Germany.
The meeting presented an opportunity for the two sides to discuss important geopolitical issues. Included in the discussions was the upcoming Summit of the Future of the UN. With regards to the overdue reform of the UN Security Council, Germany supports a stronger representation of the African continent in the Council. South Africa briefed the German representatives on the state of its preparedness for its Presidency of the G20 in 2025.
In addition to meeting the Deputy Minister, Mr Schmid and Ms Lugk also met with Members of Parliament, think tanks, trade unions, political parties, German companies, the Goethe Institute, the GIZ (Germany’s development agency) and KfW (Germany’s development bank).
The German Members of Parliament met with representatives of South African political parties where they shared experiences about the Government of National Unity (GNU) in South Africa and coalition politics in Germany.
South Africa maintains a substantial and diverse relationship with Germany. Germany is one of South Africa’s most important strategic partners and is the second-largest market for South African exports, the third-largest source of overseas tourists, a major investor and development partner. The German Government views South Africa as a “global development partner” with which it seeks close coordination in international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Germany is a leading investor in the South African economy, with approximately 600 German companies represented in South Africa.
Bilateral development cooperation focuses on energy and climate change (green economy), good governance and public administration, HIV/AIDS prevention and vocational training.
Dirco and TDS