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President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday host the Federal President of the Republic of Austria, Alexander van der Bellen, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.<\/span><\/p>\n Ramaphosa\u2019s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the State Visit presents an opportunity to consolidate the long-standing and strong relationship between South Africa and Austria.<\/span><\/p>\n The bilateral relations span several sectors, particularly in the fields of arts and culture, higher education, renewable energy, trade and investment, and waste management.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSouth Africa and Austria maintain cordial and cooperative bilateral relations that are rooted in mutual respect, shared values on multilateralism, and growing economic and cultural exchanges,\u201d said Magwenya.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThough geographically distant and differing significantly in size and economic structure, the two nations have found common ground in international cooperation, trade, and sustainable development.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ramaphosa and Van der Bellen will also address a plenary session of the Business Forum on the afternoon of the State Visit, on Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Austrian Embassy in Pretoria, the bilateral relations have a long history, and in <\/span>1962, the Austrian delegation in South Africa was upgraded to a full embassy.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBilateral relations between Austria and South Africa can be described as very good. Austria is perceived as an important economic partner with high technological expertise and as a significant source of tourists. Austria is actively engaged in various sectors such as economy, energy, culture, and scientific exchange. South Africa, being a BRICS founding member and a key advocate for Africa, is considered a crucial partner in the Global South,\u201d the Austrian Embassy states on its website.<\/span><\/p>\n In 2023,<\/span> <\/span>Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, <\/b>Alexander Schallenberg visited South Africa in December 2023, leading a delegation of business-representatives and journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n During the visit, he held discussions with South Africa\u2019s then Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, and participated in a joint economic forum with over 100 corporate representatives. <\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, Minister Schallenberg inaugurated the Austrian Cultural Forum (centre) Pretoria, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa. <\/span><\/p>\n On March 14, 2023, Ambassador Romana K\u00f6nigsbrun presented her credentials to President Ramaphosa.<\/span><\/p>\n jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za<\/strong><\/p>\n News<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Friday host the Federal President of the Republic of Austria, Alexander van der Bellen, at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Ramaphosa\u2019s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said the State Visit presents an opportunity to consolidate the long-standing and strong relationship between South Africa and Austria. The bilateral relations span several sectors, particularly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[18750,18749,18751,5577,1578,1038,6990,426,2337],"class_list":["post-244697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-politics","tag-alexander","tag-austria","tag-bellen","tag-der","tag-host","tag-president","tag-pretoria","tag-ramaphosa","tag-van"],"yoast_head":"\nGet your news on the go, click here to join the News WhatsApp channel. <\/strong><\/h2>\n