Expert seminar

"As we see, there are a lot of new initiatives on the Belgian side to give new impetus in our bilateral relations after the visit of President Mbeki to Belgium in November 2004.

This is based on political will but also on sound interaction between our people.

Let me remind you a few facts :

Between 20 an 30.000 Belgians live in South Africa. They are well integrated and active in all sectors of society. There is also an ever growing number of tourists in that country

We acknowledge the presence of quite a few Belgian companies, some of them with investments that are quite recent. For example NCP alcohol in Durban is the leader of the market in the production of Ethanol, a possible fuel of the future. Belgotex, biggest producer of wall-to-wall carpets in South Africa invests each year for more than two million € in its factory in Piertermaritzburg.

Our relationship with South Africa is based on the principle of equal partnership. This will be further emphasized  during the visit of the economic mission led by HRH Prince Philippe of Belgium during which investments in both directions will be promoted.

On the development issue, it is worth mentioning that Belgium has been active in three specific fields: health, land reclamation (a very delicate subject where we have built some expertise) and training of the police force. We are already examining new possibilities taking into account that South Africa might, in a not too distant future, not be eligible any more for ODA.

On the political side, we have, from a early stage, supported the idea of African Ownership and more specifically the peace efforts of South Africa.. We have supported them both politically and financially in the DRC and Burundi.  From merely supporting these initiatives, we have gone in a more active partnership. In spite of difficulties and misunderstandings, this collaboration is coming of age mainly in the military and intelligence fields. The trilateral military cooperation is quite an achievement and should be viewed as an example by other interested nations

We are also engaged in some joined civilian projects in the DRC. 

During their visits before the end of this year, our Secretary General   and possibly the Ministers of Defence and International Cooperation will examine the possibilities to create a better framework for future projects of trilateral cooperation."