South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is on a three-day official visit to France aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in education, diplomacy and trade. The visit includes high-level engagements with UNESCO, French President Emmanuel Macron and senior French government officials. Pretoria says South Africa and France enjoy a comprehensive and productive relationship, underpinned by strong cooperation at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels across a wide range of sectors. The visit comes despite recent reports that South Africa was excluded from the G7 Summit in France following alleged pressure from the United States on the French government. Lulu Gaboo spoke to International relations analyst, Dr Oscar van Heerden.