Johannesburg. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Johannesburg June 4.

Welcoming Ms Swaraj to South Africa, the President revelled warmly his meeting with Prime Minister Modi at the Commonwealth Summit and conveyed his commitment to take the bilateral relations to the next level.

The EAM conveyed her felicitations on his assumption of office as President and mentioned that “the year 2018 was of special significance for both India and South Africa since we were commemorating the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, 100th birth anniversary of the iconic leader Nelson Mandela and the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg incident of Mahatma Gandhi.”

The enhanced engagement between the two countries, especially in the aftermath of the India-South Africa Business Summit, and greater cooperation in areas such as skill development, agriculture, IT etc were also discussed. President Ramaphosa recalled the great legacy left behind by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa for future generations.

EAM Swaraj landed in Johannesburg on June 3 afternoon and was received by South Africa Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Luwellyn Landers.

Ms Swaraj was visiting South Africa to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) Foreign Ministers meeting in Pretoria as well as to chair a meeting of another regional bloc IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) Foreign Ministers on the sidelines.

She would also be visiting Durban to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg incident which acted as a catalyst for Mahatma Gandhi to practise satyagraha against injustice and colonialism.