Media release

Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile

Tuesday, 17th October 2000

Visit to India, Egypt and South Africa

Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, will visit New Delhi from 17-20 October, Cairo from 20-22 October and Johannesburg and Pretoria from 23-25 October. He will be accompanied by an Australian business delegation in each country. In all three destinations, bilateral trade and investment relations are strong and prospects for further growth are promising.

In New Delhi, Mr Vaile will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart, the Minister for Commerce and Industry, Mr Murasoli Maran, on a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade and investment issues. He will also meet with a range of other key Indian Ministers including the Ministers for Finance, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Information Technology and Disinvestment. An important outcome of the visit will be the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on information technology cooperation. Mr Vaile will also launch a joint Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade/Austrade study on Australian companies that have successfully done business in India.

In Cairo, Mr Vaile will hold discussions with his Egyptian counterpart, the Minister for Economy and Foreign Trade, Dr Youssef Boutros-Ghali, on a range of bilateral and multinational trade issues, particularly relating to agriculture. Mr Vaile will also meet with the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture, and the Ministers for Supply and Home Trade, Planning and International Cooperation, Justice, and Public Works and Water Resources. Important outcomes of the visit will include the signing of a Bilateral Agreement on the Welfare of Children and the initialling of a bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement.

In Pretoria, Mr Vaile and the South African Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Alec Erwin, will co-chair the 3rd Australian-South Africa Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), the key vehicle driving the bilateral economic relationship. Mr Vaile will also meet with Mr Nelson Mandela and with a range of South African Ministers including the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs, the Minister for Education, and the Deputy Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology. Mr Vaile and Mr Erwin will sign a Joint Communique at the conclusion of the JMC, covering new proposals for cooperation across a broad range of sectors. Mr Vaile will also sign a Letter of Intent on future cooperation in science and technology and open the new Monash University Campus in Johannesburg.

Local Date: Thursday, 20-Nov-2008 23:39:54 EST