By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider
President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to host Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen on Friday 4 July 2025, as part of an effort to strengthen the long standing relations between South Africa and Austria, specifically within the arts and culture, higher education, renewable energy, trade and investment and waste management sectors.
The bilateral relations between Austria and South Africa have remained cordial over the years because of their shared values system as well as their cultural and economic exchanges which continue to grow. The two nations have managed to find a common ground especially considering that geographically they are very far apart as well having a significant difference in terms of their economic structures.
They have managed to maintain cooperation in regards to trade and sustainable development. The two Presidents will also be addressing a plenary session of the Business Forum during the state visit in the afternoon on Friday.
Spokesperson of the Presidency Vincent Magwenya spoke to IOL in regards to the Austrian President’s visit to South Africa; “South Africa and Austria maintain cordial and cooperative bilateral relations that are rooted in mutual respect, shared values on multilateralism, and growing economic and cultural exchanges.” said Magwenya.
The Austrian Embassy which is based in Pretoria has expressed that South Africa and Austria have had a long history in bilateral relations and as 1962 the Austrian delegation had received an upgrade to become an official embassy. “Bilateral Relations between Austria and South Africa can be described as very good. Austria is perceived as an important economic partner with high technological expertise and as a significant source of tourists. Austria is actively engaged in various sectors such as economy, energy, culture and scientific exchange. South Africa being a BRICS founding member and a key advocate for Africa, is considered a crucial partner in the Global South.” as per the Austrian Embassy website.
In December of 2023, the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, had paid a visit to South Africa to lead a delegation of journalists and business representatives. During this visit he met with the former Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, and hosted a joint economic forum consisting of 100 corporate representatives. Minister Schallenberg also inaugurated the Austrian Cultural Forum centre in Pretoria which has become the first of its kind in the Sub-Saharan African region.
This visit comes ahead of the G20 leaders summit in November where Ramaphosa can also begin discussing plans for better sustainable economic growth.