President Cyril Ramaphosa says he has on two occasions tried to reach out to the United States President, Donald Trump, diplomatically.
Answering questions in the National Assembly at Parliament in Cape Town, Ramaphosa says he started in Trump’s capacity as US president-elect, as per protocol, and then sent South Africa’s Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool.
Ramaphosa says, “For the election of President Trump Ramadan next year. I had a telephone call with him as President-elect of the US to congratulate him on his election and to reaffirm our own commitment as South Africa to strengthen our relationship between our two countries. Our ambassador Ebrahim Rasool has recently being posted in Washington DC for this second stint as our country envoy to the United States.”
He says America remains an important diplomatic partner in its relations regardless of the current political impasse.
Ramaphosa says they will continue pursuing diplomatic cordial relations with the US. This is despite Trump’s administration’s decision to halt funding to the country.
He says the two countries have a long history of diplomatic co-operation. “United States of America remains a strategy, remains as a historic partner to our country. It’s active engagement with the united states through diplomatic and economic channels, soon after the establishment of the Government of National Unity last year, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperations as well as the Minister as the Deputy Minister of Industry and Cooperation, they all under took an official visit to Washington DC for an engagement with the administration.”
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