President Samia Suluhu Hassan and South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa have expressed their determination to strengthen the existing bilateral political and economic relations between the two SADC member states as well as enhancing Bi-National Commission (BNC).
Speaking at the Union Buildings in Tshwane, South Africa, Tanzania’s Head of State Samia said the second BNC session has afforded both countries to explore and agree on more avenues of cooperation.
“To the people of South Africa and Tanzania this means more trade, more investment opportunities, more transfer of technology, more educational opportunities and more cultural interactions,” President Samia stated.
President Samia’s visit to SA coincides with the second session of the South Africa-Tanzania binational commission where the two countries reviewed the implementation of the first session of the BNC that was conveyed in Dar es Salaam in May 2017.
Upon their meeting, the two leaders discussed a number of bilateral regional continental and global issues of mutual interest including diplomatic, economic, political and peace and security relation.
“We also agreed on the importance of enhancing our cooperation in regional and multilateral arenas through the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, (AU), the United Nations (UN), the commonwealth and the groupings. We stand to gain a lot from such cooperation,” she added.
On his part, President Ramaphosa called on the two countries to align views and unite against the challenges facing the continent and international nations.
“Our engagements in regional, continental and global governance institutions reinforce the imperative of silencing the guns across the continent and of working together for peace, security, and stability.
“The changing international political landscape requires us to align our positions and approaches to ensure that the voice of Africa is further strengthened at a global stage,” he said.
President Ramaphosa reflected on the two countries’ shared mutual history which also includes the Apartheid era when the East African country played host to several liberation fighters from South Africa.
