State visit to strengthen relations between South Africa and Belgium

GAUTENG – President Cyril Ramaphosa said the monarchs’ visit is about building bridges between Belgium and South Africa. The official welcoming ceremony took place at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. “The state visit will serve to expand and strengthen bilateral relations between South Africa and Belgium and revitalise economic relations with a focus on trade, foreign direct investment, and tourism. Belgium has been playing a major role in supporting the African continent’s health sector by donating COVID-19 vaccines and investing in medical research. More dialogues will be held between South Africa and Belgium in order to bring conflict to an end despite the painful past.” said President Ramaphosa.

King Philippe says the goal of the visit is to strengthen relations with South Africa. “Through this visit we want to strengthen the collaboration between South Africa and Belgium and foster more dialogues between different sectors. Our companies are keen on investing more in your country.”

Belgium is one of South Africa’s most important economic partners and many of South Africa’s exports enter Europe through the Port of Antwerp, which is the second largest in the European Union. South Africa enjoys a healthy trade surplus with Belgium with organic chemicals as the key export, followed closely by diamonds and motor vehicles. Belgian companies are also significant investors in the South African economy. Belgium is traditionally among the ten major sources of international tourists to South Africa.