South Africa’s President Ramaphosa Speaks to US President-Elect Biden

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday evening engaged in a telephonic call with US President-elect Joe Biden to discuss ways to strengthen US-Africa relations and overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Ramaphosa says he is hopeful of a strong partnership between the United States and the African continent in promoting peace and stability in international relations and advancing multilateralism.

President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris have identified Africa as a major player in international affairs and in the advancement of multilateralism, according to a news report by the SA government.

The leaders recalled a visit to South Africa by Biden during the dark days of apartheid, where Biden demonstrated his commitment to human rights and dignity for all South Africans. A video from decades ago recently went viral in which Biden passionately fought for the rights of South Africans against the SA apartheid government of the day.

Biden, whose daughter-in-law is a South African expat, expressed his admiration for what the democratic South Africa has achieved.

President Ramaphosa said he looked forward to a strong partnership at a bilateral level and between the United States and the continent of Africa.

The President wished President-elect Biden and Vice-President-elect Harris well for their term in office. – SAnews.gov.za