BuaNews (Tshwane)
Luyanda Makapela
24 October 2008
Pretoria — Sweden's Minister for Trade Ewa Bj"rling has said the challenges facing South Africa need the combined effort of Africa and the international community.
Speaking, following a meeting between the Swedish Minister, government and business aimed at strengthening green trade relations in Pretoria on Thursday, Minister Bj"rling said some of the challenges the country was facing were HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment.
"The issue of HIV and AIDS, poverty and unemployment should continue to be our top priority on the political agenda as we need to take a joint action through access to relevant programmes which will assist our responsibility going forward," the minister said.
Minister Bj"rling is on a two-day visit in the country, the first Swedish ministerial visit to South Africa since the centre-right coalition government took office in 2006, to discuss energy, free trade areas and climate change with stakeholders.
The minister stressed a need to broader free trade in Africa, saying that the European Union has already indicated its commitment in assisting the developing countries to achieve this.
Minister Bj"rling said South Africa was facing challenges in energy efficiency and that this should always remain high on the political agenda.
She further called on South Africans to continue in their endeavours to improve the quality of life of the poor through the concept of corporate social responsibility.
Her visit included meeting Swedish companies and a tour of the Ithemba Institute, an industrial school supported through the Swedish-South African broader economic cooperation programme.
The Swedish minister also held talks with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sue van der Merwe and representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry and participate in the launch of "Ophelia", a personal portrayal of HIV and AIDS in two different parts of the world.
Cooperation between Sweden and South Africa is focussed on reducing poverty, inequality and vulnerability, fighting HIV and AIDS and consolidating democracy and respect for human rights
Formal relations between Sweden and South Africa date back to the 1930s when a South African delegation was opened in Stockholm following relations being upgraded to ambassadorial level in 1994.
Sweden strongly supported the struggle for democracy in South Africa during the apartheid period following an inauguration of South African - Swedish Binational Commission by Former President Thabo Mbeki and Prime Minister G"ran Persson in September 2000.
South African exports to Sweden include mineral products, wood products, machinery and mechanical appliances.
Imports products (from Sweden to SA) include electrical equipment, chemical products, wood pulp, textiles as well as machinery.
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