5 August 2004

South Africa's political and economic relations with Eritrea will be strengthened following an agreement between the two countries for Pretoria to open an embassy in the Eritrean capital, Asmara on 1 October.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her Eritrean counterpart, Ali Said Abdella, in Asmara this week.

Following the signing, Dlamini-Zuma delivered a message from President Thabo Mbeki to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the two ministers discussed developments in Ivory Coast and the peace processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Sudan.

Mamoepa said the ministers also discussed possible co-operation between South Africa and Eritrea in agriculture, construction and infrastructure development.

"Views were also exchanged about the impasse in the Ethiopian-Eritrean border conflict", Mamoepa said.

Ethiopia and Eritrea have been in conflict over the disputed Badme border region, which both sides claim as their territory.

Source: BuaNews

	South African trade with Africa

	Department of Foreign Affairs  Dept of Trade & Industry

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