Photos: President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomes His Majesty Prince Philippe and Her Majesty Queen Mathilda of the Kingdom of Belgium
Photo credit: GCIS #BelgiumInSA
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24 March 20
PRETORIA — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilda to the capital Pretoria
Their Majesties, the King Philippe, and the Queen Mathilde of Belgium are on their State Visit to South Africa from 22 to 27 March 2023 at the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa
The visit – the first to South Africa by the Belgian monarchy – is a demonstration of the strong bilateral relations that exist between the two countries
The State Visit will serve to expand and strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and revitalise economic relations with a focus on trade, foreign direct investment, and tourism
In his speech, President Ramaphosa lauded the European country for its assistance to Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ramaphosa emphasized the role played by Belgium in backing the World Health Organization’s mRNA technology transfer hub initiative established in South Africa to improve Africa’s access to vaccines and therapeutic
“I wish to express our appreciation to the kingdom of Belgium for its role in the global fight against COVID-19
Belgium is an important donor to the vaccine alliance GAVI, for the operation of COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative,” said Ramaphosa at a press briefing with the Belgian King on Thursday
Ramaphosa added that Belgium had donated about 10 million doses of vaccines during the pandemic, with a significant proportion going to African countries in need of vaccine
Ramaphosa praised the collaboration between South Africa’s Afrigen Biologics firm and Belgium’s Univercells Group to develop a novel mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and to improve preparedness for future health emergencies
The effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were also to be discussed between the two leaders, with Ramaphosa emphasizing that South Africa supports a peaceful solution to the war
“We look forward to sharing our perspectives on the conflict during our meeting and learning more about Belgium’s stance
It is also important to consider the impact of the conflict on the international economy, especially with regards to global food and energy security,” Ramaphosa said ahead of meeting privately with the kin
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said Belgium understands South Africa’s stance on the war in Ukraine and urged South Africa to use its “channels of communications to advance on a path toward peace
“I think this is the major foreign policy issue for Europe, and it will likely remain so, I’m afraid, for the next months. We are fully committed to helping Ukraine defend itself. We see this as essential to defend European security but also the U.N. Charter’s principle,” said Lahbi
“We have always looked up to South Africa as a key partner for peace and the defence of human rights and basic international principles,” said Lahbi
The Belgian monarchs are expected to engage with South Africa’s business, academic, and civil society in Johannesburg and Cape Town over the next few days and visit historical and cultural site
South Africa and Belgium are also pursuing cooperation in renewable energy and, in particular, green hydrogen.
Belgium is one of South Africa’s most important economic partners, and many of South Africa’s exports enter Europe through the Port of Antwerp, which is the second largest in the European Union
South Africa enjoys a healthy trade surplus with Belgium with organic chemicals as the key export, followed closely by diamonds and motor vehicles. Belgian companies are also significant investors in the South African economy
Belgium is traditionally among the ten major sources of international tourists to South Africa
Relations between South Africa and Belgium are managed through a Joint Commission that meets at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers
His Majesty, the King of the Belgians’ The official Belgian delegation is comprised of political, economic, and academic leadership, including the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Hadja Lahbib, as well as ministers and representatives of the regions and communities of Belgium
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