Foreign Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma left Belarus on Saturday after concluding a four day visit to the country, said the ministry.
During her stay, Dlamini Zuma visited President Alexander Lukaschenko and extended an invitation to him from President Thabo Mbeki to come visit SA.
Dlamini Zuma was accompanied on her visit by a business delegation specialising in small and medium enterprises.
During meetings with her Belarus counterpart Minister Sergei Martynov it was decided that strong political relations between the countries needed to be matched by strong economic relations.
A consul-general office is to be established in Belarus to boost economic ties between the two countries.
Dlamini Zuma also visited the Belarus Academy of Science where discussions on strengthening academic and scientific ties between the two countries took place.
The minister invited scientists to possibly join a Belarusian delegation to participate in the November 2008 South Africa – Belarus Inter-governmental Economic Corporation session in South Africa.
Dlamini Zuma’s visit to Belarus was the final part of a tri- nation visit which also took her to Italy and Tunis.
The minister will arrive back in SA on Sunday before going to Zimbabwe on Monday for a ceremony in which a political power-sharing deal for the country will be signed in.
SAPA
