Middle Power Diplomacy

The inaugural Astana International Forum (AIF) which took place in Kazakhstan’s capital from 8-9 June has been lauded a success and is set to become an annual event. The AIF brought together over 4,000 delegates from all across the globe to discuss the many challenges facing the world today and to map out workable solutions for those challenges.
With increasing polarisation and disharmony in the world, the theme for the AIF was ‘Tackling challenges through dialogue towards cooperation, development and progress’. Opening the Forum, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomat Tokayev said that the United Nations remains the only universal global organization which unites the world. He however said that the United Nations will not succeed in tackling challenges in the absence of a comprehensive reform of the Security Council and that the voices of Middle Powers in the Council need to be amplified and clearly heard. The United Nations was a strategic partner of the AIF. 

Post pandemic is a term being used by commentators to describe the current state of affairs. A South African media delegation was hosted by Xinhua News Agency, considered the largest in China. It was the first international media delegation hosted by the renowned agency since the pandemic was brought under control.
One of the first stops on the program was the headquarters of China's Longyuan Power Group Corporation Limited of CHN Energy in Beijing. The visit to the state of the art digital energy management centre was just one example of the many awe inspiring engagements that the delegation would encouter of China’s growth momemtum.

(l-r) Zhanna Kurmangalieva, Vice-Rector for Science of L.N.Gumilyov ENU, Ambassador Keitumetsi Matthews of South Africa to Kazakhstan, Deputy Minister Candith Mashego-Dlamini, Deputy Minister Kanat Tumysh and Dino Foi, Kazakhstan's Honorary Consul in Mozambique (photo: TDS)

The 7th session of Political Consultations took place in Astana between Kazakhstan and South Africa. The session was co-chaired by Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa Candith Mashego-Dlamini and Deputy Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Tumysh.
The Consultations explored closer cooperation in the fields of skills development and technological transfers, people-to-people cooperation, education, science and technology, mining, agriculture, and energy.
Mashego-Dlamini also attended the Astana International Forum which took place from 8-9 June. The Forum brought together experts from around the globe to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges and sought to find workable solutions and to move the world towards a more equitable place. The Forum was hailed a resounding success by many who looked forward to it becoming an annual event.

Ambassador Noralyn Jubaira Baja(l) and Minister Thoko Didiza(r)

The Philippines celebrates its independence on the 12th of June. This year the Embassy of Philippines in South Africa celebrated the 125th anniversary of independence with a night of music in Pretoria. Dr Abelardo Galang II, a renowned Berlin-based Filipino pianist wowed the audience with his repertoire of classical and contemporary pieces.
Speaking at the celebration Ambassador Noralyn Jubaira Baja of the Philippines to South Africa said that this year the Independence Day celebration coincides with the 162nd birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, the Philippines national hero. Considered the embodiment of Philippine excellence and nationalism, his life, works and writings helped to inspire the 1898 Philippine revolution.

Ambassador Ilya Rogachev of the Russian Federation (Photo TDS)

“On 12 June 1990, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Russia was adopted. It opened a new chapter in our millennium-long national history. Mother Russia remains a home to a multitude of diverse ethnic groups, having their own cultures, traditions and religions. And today is an opportunity to pay tribute to generations of our forefathers who established, strengthened and defended this unique country,” said Ambassador Ilya Rogachev of the Russian Federation at the celebration of Russia Day in Pretoria, South Africa.

Anu’a-Gheyle Solomon Azoh-Mbi, High Commissioner of Cameroon to South Africa with Fadil Nacerodien, Chief Director, North and Central Africa at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (l) and Professor Abdon Atangana (r)

Mr Anu’a-Gheyle Solomon Azoh-Mbi, High Commissioner of Cameroon to South Africa hosted an event to celebrate the 51st Anniversary of Cameroon’s National Day. Cameroon gained independence in 1960, like most other African countries, but Cameroon’s journey to sovereignty did not stop there.
“In 1961, English speaking Cameroon acceded to independence through reunification with their French speaking brethren. A federal system was instituted and the country was governed with two separate political cultures inherited from French and English colonial experiences. Twelve years later on May 20, 1972, the federation was abolished by referendum in favour of a unitary state. The dream of our Founding Fathers was to replace the two separate political cultures with a single indigenously crafted political system. May 20, then became Cameroon’s National Day — the day we began our journey towards building a new Cameroonian nation with one system and one soul,” said Azoh-Mbi.

Mr Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, Ambassador of Thailand to South Africa with members of the embassy and the business delegation

A number of prospective Thai businesses visited South Africa recently seeking opportunities to expand their businesses to this part of the world. The linkages that were being sought were predominantly in the food and beverage sectors.
Chef Micky giving a cooking demonstration.
Thailand’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr Mungkorn Pratoomkaew, led a delegation of 13 Thai companies to Africa’s Big 7, an annual trade show that took place in Midrand, Johannesburg from 18-20 June 2023. The Thai Pavillion themed ‘Thailand, Kitchen of the World’, attracted visitors with cooking demonstrations and Thai cuisine tasting. The 3 dishes that were cooked by award winning Chef Micky of Chef Micky’s Thai Dining restaurant in Johannesburg were Pad Ka Prao Kai, Som Tam and Miang Kham. Included in the Thai products exhibited, were coconut milk, coconut water, pastes, sauces and snacks.

(l-r) Jungbum Chun, Director of the Korean Cultural Centre, Daniela Malheiros Mendonca, Cutural Attaché at Embassy of Brazil, Ambassador Noralyn Jubaira Baja of the Philippines, Ambassador Mahdi Agha Jafari of Iran, Ambassador Chull-joo Park of South Korea, Ambassador Dan Bahadur Tamang of Nepal, High Commissioner Gamini Gunawardane of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Ayşegül Kandaş of Türkiye

The World Food Festival 2023, Pretoria’s week-long international food and culture festival, kicked off with its opening ceremony on Monday, 26 June at the Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa.
The World Food Festival was first launched in July last year, organized and hosted by the Korean Cultural Centre in partnership with embassies of participating countries and The Diplomatic Society. The festival's mission is to provide a venue for visitors to learn and experience various cultures with the theme of the food in South Africa where numerous different cultures coexist. The first edition concluded successfully, recording hundreds of visitors.

• The cooperative flower power of China
• Aperilink 2023: Italian Aperitivo & Business Networking Event In Johannesburg
• Luo Hong – an African love affair
• World Bicycle Day marked in South Africa
• South Africa and Mozambique enjoy fraternal relations
• Complementarity Gains