Darren O'Rourke
Question:57. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he met his South African counterpart during his recent visit to South Africa. [36521/23]
View answerTuesday, 25 July 2023
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I visited South Africa on 17 and 18 July, and held extensive and warm discussions with the Minister for International Relations and Cooperation, Dr Naledi Pandor, and also with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
I was invited by Minister Pandor to join her for Mandela Day, 18 July, an important annual day of commemoration when South Africa marks Nelson Mandela’s enduring legacy. We attended celebrations at the Bophelong Community Centre in Mamelodi, before holding wide-ranging discussions covering bilateral relations, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, human rights, regional issues, multilateral engagement, including on women, peace and security, and the Middle East, in particular the situation of the Palestinian people.
We noted that the warmth of relations between our two countries is the result of important shared moments in our histories. These include the Irish people's strong support for the fight to end apartheid in South Africa and South Africa's valuable assistance to the Northern Ireland peace process.
We shared perspectives on the consequences of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine. I outlined Ireland’s clear position on the illegal invasion, in contravention of the UN Charter, and our support for Ukraine and its people. I set out the strong response of the EU to Russia’s attempts to redraw its borders through force. Minister Pandor reiterated South Africa’s belief that the UN Charter must be respected and that no country should occupy another. She briefed me on South Africa's participation in the recent African leader’s peace initiative, and the visits to Ukraine and Russia, which I welcomed. We also discussed Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and I expressed Ireland’s deep concern for the potential impact on global food insecurity. We discussed in some detail the difficult food security situation across Africa, and Ireland's response through our development programme and in our work at the United Nations, including as co-facilitator of negotiations for the political declaration to be adopted by the SDG Summit in September.
My meeting with Minister Pandor was a very welcome opportunity to celebrate the enduring friendship between our two countries and 30 years of diplomatic relations. Next year, Ireland will host the Ireland - South Africa Joint Commission on Cooperation in Dublin, with meetings to take stock of our bilateral cooperation and review how we can further strengthen our bilateral relations.