Russia and South Africa Move to Expand Parliamentary Cooperation into Economic and Regional Partnership

Dragon Media News Desk

Russia and South Africa have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding their historic friendship and strategic partnership through closer parliamentary, economic and regional cooperation.

The issue was discussed during talks between Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, and Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of the Parliament of South Africa.

Their discussions focused on strengthening interparliamentary relations, attracting investment, expanding regional cooperation and improving coordination within multilateral parliamentary platforms.

A South African parliamentary delegation led by Mtsweni-Tsipane is visiting Russia from July 13 to 17 at Matvienko’s invitation. The visit is intended to institutionalise dialogue between the two legislatures and translate the countries’ longstanding friendship and strategic partnership into practical cooperation.

During the meeting, Matvienko said the South African delegation’s visit reflected the positive momentum in bilateral relations. She expressed confidence that it would contribute to strengthening the full range of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

Matvienko emphasised that relations between Russia and South Africa extend beyond formal diplomatic engagement. She said the partnership developed during South Africa’s struggle against apartheid had created a strong historical foundation for present-day cooperation.

She added that regular contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa demonstrated the shared political commitment of both countries to further expanding their comprehensive strategic partnership.

September 2026 will mark the 20th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Partnership between Russia and South Africa. The agreement was signed on September 5, 2006, during President Putin’s visit to South Africa and established a long-term framework for political dialogue, economic relations and cooperation across various sectors.

Mtsweni-Tsipane also described relations with Russia as being rooted in a longstanding historical partnership. She said the current period offered an important opportunity to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly through parliamentary diplomacy.

She stressed that parliamentary contacts should be used as an effective instrument for deepening political trust, expanding economic cooperation and promoting closer people-to-people relations.

Mtsweni-Tsipane said South Africa was interested in attracting Russian investment and would continue working to expand mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.

The two sides also discussed possible cooperation in agriculture, education, science and technology, youth development, women’s empowerment, economic relations and people-to-people exchanges.

They considered ways to make more effective use of the parliamentary cooperation memorandum signed between the two countries’ legislatures in 2014.

Matvienko proposed strengthening the cooperation group established between the Federation Council and South Africa’s National Council of Provinces. The Russian side of the group is headed by Andrey Kutepov, Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy.

She also suggested holding regular videoconferences between relevant committees of the two parliaments and establishing direct contacts between young South African parliamentarians and the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council.

Regional cooperation was another major subject of the talks. Matvienko said exchanges between Russian regions and South African provinces had become increasingly active in recent years.

South African representatives visited Moscow, St. Petersburg and Petrozavodsk last year, while Russian delegations travelled to Johannesburg for meetings and exchanges. Matvienko said Russia intended to continue supporting such regional-level contacts and practical partnerships.

The South African side noted that significant opportunities existed for cooperation between provinces, cities and regions in agriculture, industry, education, tourism and local development.

Both sides expressed the view that regional cooperation could help transform agreements reached at the central-government level into concrete projects benefiting local communities.

Matvienko also highlighted the close coordination between Russian and South African lawmakers within international parliamentary platforms, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union and BRICS parliamentary structures.

She said South African representatives were always welcomed as important participants in international parliamentary events hosted by Russia.

The South African Parliament said the delegation’s programme also included discussions on the role of legislatures in promoting sustainable development, international dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation through BRICS and other multilateral institutions.

Both sides agreed that interparliamentary relations should not be limited to formal visits and meetings. They called for parliamentary engagement to be connected more closely with investment facilitation, economic projects, regional exchanges, youth participation and regular dialogue between specialised committees.

The renewed parliamentary engagement reflects broader efforts by Russia and South Africa to give their historic friendship a more institutional and practical character amid changing international circumstances.