Seventh session of the German-South African Binational Commission: Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle to meet South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe

BERLIN, Germany, May 8, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- On Tuesday, 8 May, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle will meet South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe for political talks at the Federal Foreign Office. The talks will be held in connection with the seventh session of the German-South African Binational Commission, which will convene in Berlin on 7 and 8 May 2012 under the joint chairmanship of Foreign Minister Westerwelle and Deputy President Motlanthe.

The talks will focus on bilateral relations as well as cooperation on international issues in the United Nations Security Council. In January 2011 South Africa – like Germany – became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

The German-South African Binational Commission was established in 1996 when Nelson Mandela, the then President of South Africa, paid Germany a state visit. The aim of the Commission, which convenes every two years, most recently on 8 and 9 April 2010 in Pretoria, is to promote cooperation between the two countries.