There is a wide range of issues on which to build bilateral relations on a sustainable basis between South Africa and France, climate change for example is one of those, the Speaker of the National Assembly Ms Baleka Mbete told the French Ambassador to South Africa Mr Christophe Farnaud at Parliament today.
She said if there is something wrong that takes place because of climate change, it will fall on all humanity. That is one example she said that compels countries to have relations between them and on top of that, there is much which countries learn from each other.
She said there are historical foundations which were created when the South African people fought apartheid and when the people of France provided moral and other forms of support to that struggle.
Ms Mbete said the creation of friendship groups is a strategic tool to strengthen and take the relations between Parliaments to the next level. She said globalisation dictates that countries have to work together. In that context, she said cooperation between Parliaments is imperative. “No country can live in isolation,” she said.
She said because of financial constraints there are no friendship groups in the South African Parliament.
Ms Mbete welcomed Mr Farnaud, together with Mr Nigel Casey who is the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom, and the Ambassador of Iraq to South Africa, Dr Saad Kindeel, at different times in her office at Parliament today. All the visits were on courtesy call grounds.
By Mava Lukani
7 November 2017
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