Your Excellency, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani;

Honourable Ministers,

Members of the media

Good Day,

Let me start by thanking His Excellency President Rouhani for his invitation for me to undertaken this State Visit, and for the warm hospitality we have received since our arrival here in Tehran.

We have just completed a round of successful bilateral discussions with His Excellency President Rouhani.

It was a meeting characterised by the spirit of friendship and frank exchange of views in support of our mutual objective to transform our bilateral relationship into a substantive strategic partnership.

Iran occupies a special place in our history of struggle in South Africa. Iran was at the forefront of the fight against Apartheid, pledging solidarity with the South African people and cutting ties with the Apartheid Regime.

South Africans were inspired by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which showed us that emancipation is possible, whatever the odds.

With the demise of Apartheid in 1994, South Africa and Iran established formal diplomatic ties that have flourished to what they are today.

Our relations with Iran are conducted within the structured framework of the Joint Commission established in 1995 and the Deputy Ministerial Working Group.

This is an inter-sessional mechanism to review progress and ensure the implementation of the decisions and outcomes of the Joint Commission. 

Our bilateral relations are also informed by regular high level exchanges, such as the very productive visit of South Africa’s Deputy President to Iran at the end of last year.
It is in this regard that today we discussed various mechanisms that we can deploy to strengthen our political, trade, investment and economic, as well as people-to-people relations between our countries. 

I am accompanied by a business delegation, which signals South Africa’s willingness to consolidate business relations between the two countries and accept the challenge to dramatically expand trade volumes. 

My Ministerial delegation has also reported positive outcomes following consultations with their Iranian counterparts.

We have also expressed our congratulations to the People and the Government of Iran for the successful conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the subsequent lifting of all nuclear related sanctions unilaterally imposed against the Islamic Republic.

We reiterated our position, in line with the Non-Alignment Movement, that Iran has a right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 

We are pleased with the lifting of sanctions, which will allow Iran to deepen engagement with the community of nations and create further prosperity for its people, including ours.

We are confident that today we have laid a solid foundation for the elevation and consolidation of bilateral relations between our governments and our people into a strategic partnership. 

I thank you.