MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in the South African parliament Thandi Modise stated that the approaches of both countries on global and regional issues coincided or were similar, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement comes after a meeting between Lavrov and Modise.

During the talks, the sides discussed interestedly "a set of topical issues to further strengthen fruitful cooperation between Russia and South Africa in mainline directions of strategic partnership," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The sides also stressed the significance of continuing active inter-parliamentary interaction both bilaterally and in international formats, including BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa]," the ministry said.

"Both sides also stated that Russia and South Africa had either identical or similar approaches on global and regional issues, including the struggle against international terrorism, the situation in Syria and generally in the Middle East and the settlement of crises in Africa," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

In this context, Moscow and Pretoria expressed the mutual intent to support an active and trustworthy political dialog.

Strategic partnership

According to Lavrov, Russia and South Africa are adding a new content to their strategic partnership in various spheres.

"Literally in several months, we’ll be celebrating 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, although, of course, friendly, close and fraternal ties between our peoples have a longer history," Lavrov said.

"We remember the struggle of the South African people for independence and we were not simply in support of this struggle but actively helped it," the Russian foreign minister said.

After South Africa gained independence, the relations between the two countries progressed to the point when the Russian and South African leaders signed an agreement on strategic partnership in 2012, Lavrov said.

Now this strategic partnership "is gaining an ever new content both with regard to deepening bilateral interaction in the trade-economic and humanitarian spheres and as part of international cooperation," he added.

The Russian foreign minister also praised the South Africa’s role in contributing to the settlement of conflicts on the African continent and also in developing Russia’s relations with African countries.

The chairperson of the National Council of Provinces in the South African parliament thanked Lavrov for the possibility of holding negotiations.

"I know that foreign ministers have always a lot of things to do and therefore we are grateful that you have found the possibility for this meeting," she said.

Modise said that the South African delegation had already held fruitful negotiations in the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament.

"We’re glad that we can discuss such issues with the Russian side as energy cooperation, global warming, the right of peoples to determine their fate themselves," she said.