PH, South Africa set to sign agreement for better ‘structured’ ties

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Foreign ministers from the Philippines and South Africa are set to sign an agreement aimed for a more “structured” relationship between the two countries.

Speaking at a public lecture entitled “South-Africa’s Foreign Policy: A Vision for South-South Cooperation” held in UP Diliman, South African Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ebrahim Ismail Ebrahim noted that Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane were scheduled to sign a memorandum of agreement on the establishment of a Bilateral Consultative Forum (BCF) at the sidelines of the 67th United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.

Ebrahim, in an interview with reporters after the lecture, noted that the forum would be used as a mechanism to monitor year by year the implementations of agreements between the two countries, saying that there was a lack in the checking system.

“Although we have signed a number of agreements, the problem is the implementation of these agreements…. that is why now we are establishing a bilateral consultative forum which would mean every year that all the relevant departments would meet and then they would sign agreements and monitor the implementation of these agreements,” Ebrahim said.

“We want our relationship to be much more structured compared to a loose relationship that we had before,” Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim, also a member of the African National Congress (ANC) paid a working visit to the Philippines from September 24 to 25,  and met with Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Laura Del Rosario and officials from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Confederation of Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), Philippines-Southern Africa Business Council, and the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Asked about the meeting, Ebrahim noted that discussions centered on the expansion and strengthening of relations between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade, investment, tourism and culture.

“We are keenly looking at what legislation you are going to have and what type of recommendations you will have…We want our business people to come and explore the possibilities of investments in the country. I’m sure there are a lot of areas they can look at,” he said.

He said that the agreement would also pave the way for the visits of Filipino businessmen and experts to South Africa to deepen relations.

He noted that South African businessmen were particularly interested in investing in mining, and increasing agricultural trade.

“We are exploring how to establish links with the tourism departments of the two countries, and also exploring a direct air link between the two countries,” he said.

He noted that the Philippines, on the other hand, was interested in the services sector of South Africa, and wanted to go to South Africa to work at hotels, hospitals, and schools or the education field.

“We also encourage that Filipino teachers and engineers would go to South Africa to provide training for South Africans,” he added.

The DFA had earlier noted that South Africa is the Philippine’s largest trading partner in the African region, with a total trade volume of $218 million in 2011.

It said that formal diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1993, and that high level visits between the two countries had been highlighted by the exchange of visits between democratic icons former President Corazon C. Aquino and South African President Nelson Mandela in 1996 and 1997, respectively.

It added that South Africa was a major player in regional and international fora, and championed the cause of South-South cooperation.