Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias to visit South Africa and Mozambique (24-25.01.2023)

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, will visit South Africa and Mozambique on January 24 and 25, 2023, respectively.

During his stay in these countries, the Minister is expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings with senior officials.

In particular, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will, today, January 23, depart for South Africa, where he is scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with his counterpart, Naledi Pandor, in Pretoria tomorrow, January 24. Expanded talks will follow, with joint statements to the press scheduled to take place at approximately 08:45.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs will then travel to Johannesburg, where he will visit the SAHETI Greek School, in the presence of His Eminence Damaskinos, Archbishop of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Afterwards, the Minister will meet with members of the Federation of Hellenic Communities of South Africa and will then visit the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

It is noted that the Minister’s visit to South Africa is the first by a Greek Foreign Minister in 25 years.

On Wednesday, January 25, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will visit Mozambique (Maputo). This is the first-ever visit of a Greek Foreign Minister to the country.

During his stay in Maputo, the Minister is scheduled to meet with the Foreign Minister of Mozambique, Verónica Macamo. Following the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations is scheduled to be signed.

Afterwards, the Minister is expected to be received by the Prime Minister of the country, Adriano Afonso Maleiane. This will be followed by meetings with the Minister of Transport and Communications, Mateus Magala, His Eminence Ioannis, Metropolitan of Zambia and locum tenens of the Holy Diocese of Mozambique, members of the Greek Community of Maputo, as well as the Secretary of State for Youth and Employment, Oswaldo Petersburg.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs will also meet with the Commander of the European Union Training Mission in Mozambique (EUTM Mozambique), as well as with Greeks serving in this EU Mission.

During these visits, talks are expected to focus on further strengthening Greece’s cooperation with these countries in a wide range of areas, including the economy, investment, and culture.

Furthermore, discussions are expected to cover Greece’s cooperation with these countries within international organizations so as to address common challenges, on the basis of adherence to International Law, including the International Law of the Sea. It is noted that this is the Minister’s seventh trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, which demonstrates the importance that the Greek government attaches to the strengthening of our country’s relations with this region.