BRIAN DUBE SENDS LATEST UPDATE ON SA / SWEDEN RELATIONS

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

BRIAN DUBE SENDS LATEST UPDATE ON SA / SWEDEN RELATIONS

Deputy President Baleka Mbete to hold bilateral discussions with Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofsson
11 January 2009

Pretoria – Deputy President Baleka Mbete will tomorrow, Monday 12 January 2009, hold bilateral political, trade and economic discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Maud Olofsson, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

Deputy President Mbete will participate in the meeting within the context of South Africa’s commitment to strengthening its bilateral relations with Sweden by amongst others consolidating the outcomes of the 2007 Bi-National Commission (BNC).

The meeting on Monday will also seek to achieve Swedish support of the African Agenda and to promote economic relations, with special emphasis on investment.

Deputy Prime Minister Olofsson, who has been in South Africa on a private holiday in Gauteng and the Western Cape, requested the meeting with Deputy President Mbete to establish contact as they are the co-chairs of the South African–Swedish BNC.

Sweden will also take over the rotating Presidency of the European Union (EU) in July 2009 when the Czech Republic’s term ends.

Bilateral Relations

South Africa and Sweden share close relations dating back centuries, and Sweden and other Nordic countries provided crucial support to the anti-apartheid struggle.

In this regard an immense amount of development cooperation funding was channelled to the liberation movements and support was given in many different forms, including taking in many exiles.

Since 1994 the development cooperation was given on a government-to-government basis with far over a billion rand being allocated over the past fourteen years, covering a range of support to central government, provincial and local authorities as well as NGOs.

The Swedish government has made it a priority commitment to build up a partnership with South Africa as part of the Swedish Government’s Africa policy. Sweden has also indicated that it will be transforming its development cooperation relations with South Africa, with a greater emphasis in future on a partnership with South Africa in joint trilateral projects regionally in Africa.

The South Africa-Sweden BNC was established in 2000 and has since met in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007. The next meeting has been postponed to early 2010 due to Sweden’s Presidency of the EU in the latter half of 2009.

Bilateral Trade

The trade balance between South Africa and Sweden continues to be heavily in Sweden’s favour. The main trade sectors, both in imports and exports, include manufactured goods, machinery, automotive and transport goods, mining equipment and chemicals & fuel products.

South African exports to Sweden have increased from R1 046 906 000 in 2000 to R2 720 555 705 between January and September 2008, while imports from Sweden increased from R2 902 935 000 in 2000 to R10 126 040 425 between January and September 2008.

No comments:

Post a Comment

A CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US!

There is a crying need for a professional, dedicated and credible " Our History Project" that seeks to research, record and publish for this and future generations the history of our region, especially the last 20 years. This should include:

- our struggle against apartheid,
- the violence of the 1990's,
-the peace process,
-building democracy and
- not least economic history.

There are many, many stories of struggle and sacrifice, of pain and death, of hereos and heroines, of courage and success, of betrayal and failure.This task is now very urgent because many of the real life participants and other custodians of this history are fast passing on. Prince was one such example. Sipho was the other. Anderson Nyawosa from Shobashobana, a past delegate. Saggie Nair and not forgetting George Mbele.

There is the real danger that if we delay further, that when we do start, there will be no original sources any more. That would be a further tragedy and a grave disservice not only to future generations but also the generation that gave so much for all of us. Gulshera

Expansion of Twinning beyond Oskarshamn.

Since 1993, many Swedes, especially from Oskarshamn were part of the twinning, one to one empowerment and democracy project. Due to this link, during the former years, a Tourist Company in Soweto that has links with the Swedish tour operators, twice a year, included Port Shepstone as part of their itinerary. They interacted with members of Twinning, attended church and shopped in the town of Port Shepstone, giving our region further exposure.

This was further enhanced and expanded with the focus on the project approach, especially Global School Journey and Triangle project. New twinning interests and initiatives emerged , viz Lars Kagg Skolan project with eSayidi Fet and the most recent Ugu and Soderhamn Twin Town Agreement.

Port Shepstone and our region are now touching base with approximately 27 other towns from all over Sweden. This is positive for our country and a boost for local economy.Although our official twinning relationship is with the town of Oskarshamn, this interest has now cascaded to other towns, viz:Kalmar, Hultsfred, Öland,
Västeras,Södertälje,Vetlanda,Hageberg,Lidingö , Stockholm, Skellefteå,Skövde, Söderhamn, Högsby, Norrköping, Söderköping, Vetlanda,Växjö, Alingsås, Borlänge, Nyköping, Hagfors, Uppsala, Edsbyn, Eslöv, Lidingö, Falun, Skellefteå , Nyköping,Vårgårda, Fagersta, Klintehamn , Bålsta and Monsteras.

In addition to the above, our involvement in the Time Travel and the Bridging Ages Conference has created further links with 10 other countries, globally.Where to from here? Our involvement , committment and passion for the expansion and development of our region will determine this.

The possibilities are endless.

PAY IT FORWARD! ( Feb 2009) Gulshera