Maite Nkoana-Mashabane made the remarks here on Sunday during her meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The South African minister deemed expansion of political-economic ties with Iran important, adding her visit was aimed at seeking a tangible and practical approach in developing bilateral relations with Tehran.
Referring to the current crisis in Yemen and condemning Saudi Arabia’s military aggression there, Nkoana-Mashabane highlighted a diplomatic solution as the only solution to the crisis, saying that using force against the impoverished Arab country could further destabilize the Middle East and instigate more chaos and insecurity in the world.
FM Zarif, for his part, commended South Africa’s stance on various regional and global issues, calling the two countries’ relations ‘historical,’ ‘friendly,’ and ‘strategic’.
“In spite of the sanctions, we can still seek to strengthen cooperation with South Africa on various fields especially oil and gas, finance and banking, and power generation,” said Zarif.
The South African minister also met with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijnai later on Sunday, saying that Pretoria has initiated efforts aimed at mediating the conflict in Yemen.
Nkoana-Mashabane stressed that the adoption of the military approach in dealing with the crisis could bring about unwanted and harmful outcomes including the spread of insecurity and terrorism in the region and throughout the world.
The Iranian Parliament speaker, for his part, called for expansion of cooperation with South Africa, saying cooperation could have positive outcomes for sustainable peace and security in the region and the world.
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