site.btaForeign Minister Zaharieva Confers with South African Counterpart Sisulu

Pretoria, March 29 (BTA) - Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva conferred in Pretoria on Thursday with South African International Relations and Cooperation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, Zaharieva's Ministry said in a press release.

"Reviving our traditional and long-standing excellent relations with the states in Africa is a priority of our foreign policy," Zaharieva told her host. "There are 25,000 expatriate Bulgarians in the Republic of South Africa, who serve as a bridge between our two countries. I hope that bilateral business contacts will be intensified further," the chief Bulgaria and diplomat added.

The two discussed combating illegal migration, human trafficking and hate speech, as well as a number of subjects on the international agenda.

"Over the years, in search of new partnerships, which is quite normal, it seems that we somehow forgot about our old traditional partnerships. My objective is to re-establish and enhance and strengthen our role in the African continent because many countries are doing business here. I think that our business is sufficiently strong, I think that we are strongly interested in increasing trade and attracting investments. It is important to restart the traditions we used to have in educating students from this continent," Zaharieva said. South African students now attend universities in Plovdiv, and others will be enrolled in Stara Zagora shortly.

"Quite a few people of my party, the African National Congress, have graduated in Bulgaria. My late husband, a Kenyan by birth, also studied political science in Sofia, and I have learnt a lot about your country from him. Some of our ambassadors are fluent in Bulgarian because they have earned their university degrees in your country," Sisulu said. She appreciated Bulgaria's interest in training students from her country and stressed that South Africa now urgently needs farming experts to implement the latest trends in crop husbandry.

Zaharieva recalled that several South African investment funds acquired three shopping malls in Sofia in 2015. South African interests are also negotiating on another three malls in Sofia and own lots with building permits for the construction of shopping malls in Plovdiv and Varna. Another sizable South African investment has been made in Moussachevo, where more than 450 Bulgarian workers are making upholstery for luxury BMW cars which is exported to the automaker's German assembly works.

The two foreign ministers exchanged invitations to visit each other's country. Zaharieva highlighted Bulgaria's advantages in tourism and the IT sector. Bulgarians, too, regard South Africa as an attractive tourist destination.

The guest asked for assistance to speed up the issuance of a building permit for the construction of Bulgaria's first Orthodox church in Africa. Financing has been provided for this project which was initiated by the Bulgarian community in South Africa.

Zaharieva raised the issue of the repatriation of a six-year-old Bulgarian girl whose parents were murdered in their home in Cape Town and of her 27-year-old step brother. She also enquired about three Bulgarian nationals who have been held in custody for several years now without progress of the criminal proceedings against them.

The last Bulgarian foreign minister to visit South Africa was Ivailo Kalfin, in 2009, during a tour of six African states. South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane visited Sofia in 2011.

The two countries established diplomatic relations on February 2, 1992 at embassy level.