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Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma highlighted the decision to establish a permanent secretariat of the Africa-South America (ASA) Summit at the conclusion of a working visit to Equatorial Guinea, his office said on Sunday.
The secretariat would streamline the ASA's work and fully align it with the African Union (AU), the presidency said in a statement.
It said Zuma wrapped up a working visit to Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, on Saturday.
"The historical reality is that these countries (in South America) were under Spain, whereas in Africa only one country was colonised by Spain, but the working principle is South-South relations and the development of both regions," the presidency said.
The secretariat would concretise these relations and take the ASA forward.
The presidency said Brics - the Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa group of countries - would meet in Africa for the first time at its summit in Durban next month.
"... And the significance must not be lost to the rest of Africa, thus an opportunity for the whole of Africa to benefit, hence the invitation to other reps of African regions," the presidency said.
It said that while leaving, Zuma touched on the signing of a framework agreement to restore peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The signing will take place in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.
The United Nations, the AU and others involved would all sign to guarantee peace and stability in the region, the presidency said.
