South Africa & Malaysia Strengthen Ties: Ramaphosa & Anwar Ibrahim Joint Press Briefing

Strengthening Bilateral Relations

• 🤝 President Ramaphosa highlighted the deep historical ties between South Africa and Malaysia, spanning over 300 years, rooted in shared ancestry and resistance against slavery and colonialism.
• 🇿🇦 Malaysia's support for South Africa's struggle for freedom and its early democracy was acknowledged with gratitude.
• 📈 Both leaders emphasized the need to revitalize and strengthen relations, particularly in trade and investment, given current geopolitical challenges.
• 🗓️ Regular meetings and collaboration between ministers and officials are planned to ensure the momentum of cooperation is not lost.

Economic and Trade Expansion

• 📊 A key focus is to expand market bases and upgrade the current low level of trade between the two countries.
• 🚀 South Africa will strive to strengthen existing collaboration in areas of common interest, including defense, trade, industry, agriculture, and halal foods.
• 💼 The upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg will include a Malaysian business delegation to solidify trade and investment relations.

People-to-People and Cultural Exchanges

• 🎓 Efforts will be made to rekindle people-to-people relations, especially through educational exchanges at university, research, and student levels.
• 🎭 Broadening exchanges at the cultural and sport levels was also proposed to strengthen bonds.

Shared Foreign Policy Stances

• 🇵🇸 Both nations discussed the situation in the Middle East, particularly Palestine, with South Africa expressing gratitude for Malaysia's support.
• ⚖️ South Africa's decision to raise a complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the situation in Gaza was supported by Malaysia, drawing parallels to the struggle against apartheid.
• 🌍 The leaders condemned the genocide unfolding in Gaza, aligning their stance with historical opposition to apartheid.

Multilateral Cooperation and Global Vision

• 🌐 South Africa and Malaysia engage in multilateral forums to deepen diplomatic cooperation and strengthen South-South relations.
• 🤝 South Africa was invited to participate in the ASEAN Summit, and Malaysia will attend the G20 Summit in South Africa, fostering links between the AU/SADC and ASEAN.
• 💡 Both countries aim to create a better world at social and economic levels, focusing on improving lives through economic and trade policies, and protecting human dignity.