Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba
07/25/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/25/2022 11:48
Press release on the 16th Session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism between South Africa and Cuba
Press release on the 16th Session of the Joint Consultative Mechanism between South Africa and Cuba
The 16th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) between the Foreign Ministries of Cuba and South Africa was held on July 21 in Havana, Cuba. The delegations of the two countries were headed by H.E. Mr. Gerardo Peñalver Portal, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba and H.E. Mr. Alvin Botes, Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, who paid an official visit to Cuba from July 17 to July 24, 2022.
The meeting was an occasion to exchange views on essential matters of the bilateral relations and on regional, multilateral and international issues of common interest; reaffirm the sound and excellent bilateral relations; strengthen the historical relations and constructive bilateral and multilateral interaction, and expand mutual cooperation.
During the fraternal and friendly meeting, the South African side reiterated the support of its country to the Cuban resolution on the necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States against Cuba that is submitted every year at the United Nations General Assembly. It reaffirmed its rejection to this policy that is contrary to the UN Charter and International Law, causes huge economic and material losses to the people of Cuba and was stepped up since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic with the 243 measures imposed by the Trump Administration and slightly modified by the current US Administration.
Both delegations acknowledged the need to expand their mutually beneficial economic and commercial relations to match the level of the existing political and diplomatic relations between the two countries. In this regard, the contribution of economic and cooperation agreements and joint mechanisms were highlighted.
The Parties agreed to exchange information on trade and investment opportunities in both countries, to exchange business delegations and to facilitate their participation in major trade fairs and exhibitions being held in both countries.
The Deputy Ministers of Cuba and South Africa noted with satisfaction the progress made since the 15th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Mechanism held on September 5, 2019 in Pretoria, with the implementation of bilateral and cooperation agreements in the fields of Health, Human Settlements, Infrastructure, Water Management, Sanitation and Basic Education. They also agreed to promote collaboration through new agreements in the fields of Agriculture, Sports, Culture, Higher Education, Information and Communication Technologies, and Transport.
The achievements of the South Africa-Cuba Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Public Health and Medical Sciences were highlighted, including the graduation of hundreds of South African students as medical doctors in Cuba since the inception of the Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro training program in 1997; the ongoing medical training of many other South African students in Cuba, and the program for the deployment of Cuban health collaborators in South Africa.
Both delegations exchanged views on major developments in their respective regions and discussed multilateral issues of mutual interest. They agreed on the importance of deepening cooperation on regional and multilateral issues through South-South partnerships such as the UN system, NAM and G77 plus China in order to promote international peace and security, sustainable development priorities and move towards a peaceful, just and equitable global governance system.
The delegations agreed to continue working to promote, preserve and strengthen multilateralism by adhering to the Charter of the United Nations and International Law. They had previously dwelt on the great challenges in the global scenario as a result of unilateralism and a growing resort to unilateral coercive measures that undermine the UN Charter and International Law.
The 16th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Mechanism contributed to further strengthen the historical ties of friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Cuba and South Africa.
It was agreed that the 17th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Mechanism will be held in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, in 2023.
(Cubaminrex)