External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with South African Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile in New Delhi to discuss enhancing cooperation across various sectors. Both sides agreed to boost coordination in international forums, leveraging their shared history as BRICS members and influential Global South voices.
South African Deputy President Mashatile, who arrived in New Delhi on May 29 for a six-day visit, engaged in talks with EAM Jaishankar. They emphasized the importance of deepening the longstanding partnership between India and South Africa, focusing on opportunities in trade, investments, MSMEs, digital, and infrastructure domains. Additionally, they highlighted the need for close collaboration in international forums.
Following the meeting, Mashatile expressed on social media the commitment of both countries to expanding their relationship, particularly in economic aspects. He stressed the significance of bilateral ties in achieving mutual prosperity and addressing common challenges like poverty, unemployment, and inequality. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral trade, investment, digital innovation, and skills development between India and South Africa.
India and South Africa explored avenues to enhance cooperation in the MSME sector, recognizing its pivotal role in economic growth, job creation, and inclusive development. Discussions included potential areas of collaboration such as improving access to finance, promoting enterprise formalization, accelerating digitalization, and enhancing entrepreneurship and skilling in MSME development. The meeting, held at the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), underscored the joint commitment to nurturing a conducive environment for the growth and competitiveness of MSMEs in both nations.
