Nepal Foreign Affairs (Kathmandu, Aug. 21)–Visiting Deputy Minister of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Nomaindiya Mfeketo held separate meetings with Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey and Officiating Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi on Friday.
During the meeting, Mfeketo said that Nepal and South Africa have a long history of friendship and understanding and expressed her desire to further promote the bilateral relations between the two countries.
“Views were also exchanged about the role of Nepal in the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid in South Africa, prospects for further cooperation both on bilateral and international fronts, sharing of South African experiences in federalism as well as truth and reconciliation commission,” read a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday evening.
On the occasion, Minister Pandey expressed appreciation to the medical teams from South Africa for their valuable services to the earthquake victims in Nepal and highlighted the need for further deepening the friendship based on the solid foundation of solidarity and understanding between the two countries, the ministry said in the release.
During the meeting with Officiating Foreign Secretary Bairagi, the deputy minister stated that the objective of her visit was to support the bilateral initiatives for a more structured relationship between the two countries.
The Officiating Foreign Secretary also hosted a luncheon in her honour on Friday itself. Deputy Minister Mfeketo also met with Chairman of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Surya Kiran Gurung on the same day.
This is the first ever high level official visit from South Africa to Nepal after Nepal established residential embassy in Pretoria on 10 February 2010. Nepal and the Republic of South Africa established diplomatic relations on 28 July 1994.
Leading a 9-member South African delegation, the Deputy Minister arrived in Kathmandu on Thursday. She is scheduled to leave on Saturday.