Pakistan and South Africa have signed an agreement for the Establishment of the Pakistan-South Africa Joint Commission.
The agreement provides for an institutional mechanism for bilateral cooperation in all the agreed-upon areas of cooperation, and enables an effective mechanism to review, monitor, and expand cooperation in diverse areas.
The document was signed by the Pakistani High Commissioner to South Africa, Mazhar Javed, and South Africa’s Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. GNM Pandor, in Pretoria.
Addressing the occasion, Minister Pandor called the signing of the document ‘a milestone in the Pakistan—South Africa relations’. She stressed the need to add further substance to bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of renewable energy, agriculture, health, and higher education.
High Commissioner Javed expressed confidence that the agreement will catalyze the bilateral cooperative process, particularly in terms of economic relations. He also hoped that Minister Pandor would visit Pakistan soon, to which the latter responded in the affirmative.
In this context, the High Commissioner elaborated the Government of Pakistan’s ‘Engage Africa’ initiative and the country’s vision to tap the economic potential of its geographical location straddling different geographical regions.
After the signing ceremony, he spoke briefly with the minister to discuss issues of bilateral interest.
The Joint Commission will meet every second year, alternately in South Africa and Pakistan, to review the implementation of programs and the action of cooperation undertaken in terms of the agreement, and to adopt a program for future work.
