NEW DELHI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will start a state visit to India on Friday and Saturday as the state guest of honor for Republic Day parade this year.
President Ramaphosa will be accompanied by his wife Tshepo Motsepe, and a high-level delegation, including nine ministers, senior officials of his government and a 50-member business delegation.
This would be Ramaphosa's first visit to India as head of the state and he would be the second president of South Africa as the chief guest at India's Republic Day after President Nelson Mandela, said an official statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday.
According to the statement, India and South Africa enjoy a close and multifaceted strategic partnership since 1997, which is underpinned by historic, cultural and economic linkages.
The bilateral trade between the two countries has increased to 10.65 billion U.S. dollars in 2018-19 from 9.38 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year.
