President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the people of Japan, following the death of the country\u2019s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.<\/p>\n
Abe passed away following a shooting while he was on the campaign trail in the country.<\/p>\n
Abe was Japan\u2019s longest serving prime minister until he left the job in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn behalf of the Government and people of South Africa, I offer my sincere condolences to Mr Abe\u2019s family, friends and colleagues, as well as the Government and people of Japan as a close and special partner to our nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe violence that claimed Prime Minister Abe\u2019s life is a call on all of us to work for non-violence, peace and tolerance in all parts of the globe,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
The President reflected that during his term as South Africa\u2019s deputy president, he has \u201cbeen privileged to have a close association with Prime Minister Abe\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recall my warm and productive interactions with Prime Minister Abe during my August 2015 visit to Japan as where we made significant progress in strengthening our bilateral relations, especially in the economic sphere, as well as South Africa\u2019s cooperation with Japan in addressing issues on the global agenda.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reflect similarly on my participation as President of the Republic in the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Yokohama in August 2019. Prime Minister Abe convened this platform under the theme \u201cAdvancing Africa\u2019s development through Technology, Innovation and People\u201d, which sought to further deepen trade and investment, capacity and skills development, networking and people\u2019s exchange between African nations and Japan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Soon after the TICAD, President Ramaphosa and Abe watched on together in Yokohama as the Springbok\u2019s clinched the Rugby World Cup when it was hosted in Japan during the same year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the pleasure to return to Japan to experience Prime Minister Abe and the government and nation of Japan hosting people from all over the world for the 2019 Rugby World Cup with characteristic efficiency and hospitality.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the championship final on Saturday, 2 November 2019, I had the honour of sharing a Yokohama International Stadium stand with Prime Minister Abe as we witnessed the Springboks triumph as world champions. His warm embrace and handshake at the final whistle embodied the relationship between our two countries,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n
The President reiterated his condolences to the people of Japan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is my wish that the people of Japan and South Africa will find solace in the legacy Prime Minister Abe established in Japan, globally and in the depth of relations between our two countries. May his soul rest in peace,\u201d President Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the people of Japan, following the death of the country\u2019s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.Abe passed away following a shooting while he was on the campaign trail in the country.Abe was Japan\u2019s long…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n