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Sept. 16 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden called South Africa a "vital voice" in a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Friday ahead of talks on subjects that include the Russian war in Ukraine -- and the African nation's largely neutral stance on it. The visit is Ramaphosa's first to the White House since Biden took office.
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"Our partnership is essential in addressing many of the world's pressing challenges ... and South Africa is a vital voice on the global stage," Biden said, according to Al Jazeera.
The two met to discuss items of importance for both countries, such as trade and human rights, and to "reaffirm the importance of our enduring partnership, and discuss our work together to address regional and global challenges," the White House said in a statement.
Vice President Kamala Harris hosted Ramaphosa for a breakfast at her home Friday.
"The relationship between the United States and South Africa is a very important one for many reasons, including the leadership that together we have provided on issues such as global health, on the issue of security, and, of course, the challenges that we each face with the climate crisis and the work that we will do together to address that crisis," Harris said.
"So, I welcome you today. I thank you for your leadership. And I cannot emphasize enough how important the relationship between our countries is to the people of the United States, both in terms of our security and our prosperity."
Harris applauded Ramaphosa's response to COVID-19 and efforts to promote vaccine equity in a conversation about strengthening global health and global health security.
"The visit really is about strengthening the relationship between South Africa and the United States, but also to express our gratitude to the United States in relation to the support the U.S. has given during the COVID challenges," Ramaphosa said.
Administration officials say the meeting was a follow-up to a phone call in April and the U.S.-South Africa Strategic Dialogue in August, when Secretary of State Antony Blinken led nearly 50 U.S. officials and experts to meet their counterparts in the country.
South Africa is Africa's largest and most populous nation and is the only one on the continent to successfully develop nuclear weapons. It is still, however, considered a developing country.
"We're very proud of our relationship with South Africa," a senior White House official told reporters Thursday. "There are some 600 U.S. companies based in South Africa, and it is the number one destination for U.S. foreign direct investment on the continent, reaching $21 billion in 2021."
The United States has been a major contributor of aid to South Africa and has given more than $8 billion as HIV/AIDS assistance since 2004. Ramaphosa led the African Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It shouldn't be a surprise that the two leaders are meeting so soon after the Biden-Harris administration released its new U.S. strategy towards Sub-Saharan Africa," the senior administration official added.
"South Africa is a leading country in Africa and an important voice globally when we're addressing the era's most defining challenges, including ending the COVID-19 pandemic, tackling the climate crisis, reversing the tide of democratic backsliding, responding to the global food insecurity, and shaping the rules of the world."
There is some disagreement, however, between the two countries when it comes to Russia's war in Ukraine. South Africa declined to vote at the United Nations earlier this year on a resolution that condemned Moscow for the fighting.
South African officials have said Ramaphosa seeks more dialogue with Russia in the international community as a means to end the war.
