NKOSAZANA C. Dlamini Zuma, the South African minister of foreign relations, has received in Havana the Medal of Friendship for his “innumerable acts of solidarity towards Cuba.”

A decoration was also awarded to Ronnie Kasrils, minister of hydraulic and forestry resources of that African nation, coinciding with the 91st anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress (ANC).

José Ramón Balaguer, member of the Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party, decorated both distinguished ministers.

In a speech at the ceremony, Sergio Corrieri, president of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, highlighted the South African struggle for independence and that nation’s friendship with Cuba.

He recalled that both South African officials were forced to live in exile for defending their nation’s rights and fighting against the segregationist regime of apartheid.

The South African foreign minister has concluded a visit to Cuba that included talks with high-ranking officials and tours of places of socio-economic and cultural interest. Moments before departing, he informed the Prensa Latina news agency that the high point of his stay on the island was the signing of agreements within the Intergovernmental Joint Commission.

He stated that agreements were signed in distinctive areas of cooperation, such as health, education and agriculture, and the possibility of joint cooperation on the production of vaccines and in hydraulic resources. He added that there are already 10 engineers in that specialty in South Africa.

The foreign minister announced the expansion of current projects in housing construction to various provinces of his country.

There are also possibilities of cooperation in mining and energy that include joint exploration of hydrocarbons, he noted.

Dlamini Zuma had talks with Cuban Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, with whom he discussed issues related to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) and Havana-Pretoria relations.