S.African Deputy President Mashatile meets Vice President CP Radhakrishnan
New Delhi, June 2
South African Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile alongwith his delegation, on Tuesday met Vice President CP Radhakrishnan.
Earlier, Mashatile met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. According to Jaishankar, both leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in various sectors and agreed to work closely in international forums.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was "pleased to meet" Mashatile and appreciated his "strong commitment to deepening our longstanding partnership" between India and South Africa.
According to Jaishankar, the discussions focused on "opportunities in trade, investments, MSMEs, digital and infrastructure domains and both sides "also agreed that India and South Africa must work closely in international forums."
Earlier on Sunday, South Africa Deputy President Paul Mashatile, along with South Africa's Minister of Small Business Development, Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams, visited Dilli Haat in the national capital as part of their ongoing visit to India from May 29 to June 3.
Mashatile's visit, along with his delegation at the open-air market, food plaza, and craft bazaar, was aimed at exploring the cultural and entrepreneurial landscape of India.
In a post on X, Mashatile said that he visited Dilli Haat to explore India's rich cultural heritage.
"As part of exploring the cultural heritage of India this morning, we visited Dilli Haat in New Delhi. Dilli Haat has become India's popular tourist destination where visitors enjoy live music, dance performances, and art exhibitions representing various states of India," the post read.
In a video shared along with the post, he added that the visit was aimed at understanding how India supports small and medium enterprises (SMEs), encourages innovation in the digital economy, and manages infrastructure.
"We came here to see how India developed its own society, looking at how they support small and medium enterprises, how they come up with innovations in the digital economy, and how they handle infrastructure, so we're meeting different companies that are involved in various sectors of the economy," he said.
The Deputy President arrived in India on Friday for a six-day working visit aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation and giving "fresh impetus" to India-South Africa ties.
He is scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President CP Radhakrishnan at Rashtrapati Bhavan during his stay.
The visit itinerary also includes engagements in Hyderabad before the delegation's departure on June 3.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Interesting visit. I hope the discussions about trade and investments actually translate into concrete benefits for small business owners in both countries. Too often these high-level meetings end with just photo ops and vague promises. Let's see some real outcomes for our MSME sector!
South Africa and India have such a deep historical connection through Gandhi and the anti-apartheid struggle. It's heartening to see this partnership continuing to grow. The Dilli Haat visit shows they're genuinely interested in learning from our grassroots development models. Well done!
As someone who has worked in international development, I can see the value in this exchange. India's success with digital public infrastructure and SME support is globally recognized. South Africa could benefit from similar models adapted to their context. Smart diplomacy!
Nice to see some positive international news for a change. But I hope our government is also focusing on domestic issues with equal energy. Sometimes these foreign visits seem more like tourism than actual work... though Dilli Haat is definitely a good place to understand Indian entrepreneurship! 😄
The India-South Africa partnership has so much untapped potential. Both are emerging economies with young populations and similar challenges. I'm particularly excited about the digital cooperation mentioned - India's UPI and Aadhaar systems could be game-changers for South Africa's financial inclusion efforts.
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