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Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit South Africa next week to consolidate bilateral cooperation and dialogues in key areas including trade, Africa's development, crisis in Middle East and Iran nuclear program, the South African Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Putin's visit, scheduled for September 5-6, will be the first by a Russian head of state to South Africa, said the ministry's spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa.

During a meeting on September 5 in Cape Town, South African President Thabo Mbeki and Putin are expected to review bilateral political and economic relations, the promotion of African agenda, regional development and situation in Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Topics high on agenda also include "non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy with respect to the situation in Iran," said Mamoepa.

The road map for peace in Israel, of which Russia is one of the co-sponsors, as well as the reform of the United Nations would also be discussed.

Stressing the importance of Putin's visit, South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said it would come at a very "opportune" time for South Africa.

Russia is presently a permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) and also the chair of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized countries, and "as things develop in Russia both economically and politically, Russia is beginning to emerge again as a major player on the world stage," Pahad told a press briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Mbeki and Putin are expected to sign a series of agreements on developing bilateral partnership, cooperating in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purpose, civil aviation, health care, and reciprocal protection of intellectual property rights related to defence-industrial cooperation.

The Russian president will address South Africa's Parliament, meet with Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. Pahad said the business relations between Russia and South Africa would be high on the agenda.

Trade links between the two countries are in the favor of South Africa with imports from Russia valued at US$8.2 million and exports amounting to US$106.5 million in the period from January to September last year.

South Africa exports vehicle engines, machines and mechanical appliances and fresh fruits while importing mainly the nickel group of minerals.

While South Africa's multinationals such as Anglo American, Standard Bank, De Beers and SAB/Miller have substantial interests in Russia, Russian resources groups such as Norilsk Nickel and Renova have also expressed their growing interest in the exploration in South Africa.

Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer of the nickel and palladium group of metals, bought 20 percent of the South African gold producer Gold Fields for US$1.16 billion in March 2004.

Renova is part of joint venture company United Manganese of Kalahari that will prospect, mine and process manganese ore in the Kalahari basin.

Putin's trip to Africa, reportedly also including Angola and Morocco, has been described as an endeavor to push Russia's presence in energy and mining in Africa.

An official with the Russian Embassy, who declined to be identified, would only confirm with Xinhua that Putin will visit Morocco after his trip to South Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency August 30, 2006)