Istanbul: Deputy President Paul Mashatile will deliver keynote addresses at the South Africa-Trkiye Business Council and the 5th Biennial Trkiye Africa Business and Economic Forum, which are being held in Istanbul today. These events are part of the Deputy President’s working visit to Trkiye, where he has been co-chairing the inaugural Bi-National Commission (BNC) between South Africa and Trkiye.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Deputy President co-chaired the BNC with Trkiye’s Vice-President, Cevdet Yilmaz, in Ankara on Wednesday. The BNC, established in line with a 2012 agreement, is co-chaired at the Deputy President and Vice-President levels. The discussions culminated in a signing ceremony for several agreements, including the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETCO) and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) focusing on higher education, training, and cooperation on special economic zones and free zones.
On Thursday, the Deputy President led the continuation of bilateral discussions between the two nations. He also engaged with the ATA Holding group, chaired by Korhan Kurdoglu, which expressed interest in investing in South Africa. Their potential investment areas include food production and agribusiness, logistics, science and technology, digital transformation, infrastructure, financial services, and tourism.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition facilitated several engagements, including a meeting with Dr Mehmet Demiroglu, CEO of TAI/TUSAS, and a discussion with Ahmet Akyol, CEO and President of Aselsan. In addition to these meetings, the Deputy President visited the Anitkabir Mausoleum in Ankara, where he laid a wreath to honor Trkiye’s founder and first President, Mustafa Kemal Atatrk. He expressed hope that the spirit of Atatrk would guide future discussions and decision-making between the two countries.
The Deputy President’s delegation includes several ministers and deputy ministers, such as Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau, and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Bonginkosi Nzimande. Other members of the delegation include Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Angie Motshekga, Minister of Tourism Patricia De Lille, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Nokuzola Capa, Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe, and Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube.