(Bloomberg) -- Two United Arab Emirates airlines have held talks with South African Airways, which has said it urgently needs partners to revive its business, City Press reports, citing Mahash Alhameli, the U.A.E. ambassador to South Africa.

Talks between Emirates Airline and SAA, which have been going on for some months, are being facilitated by the U.A.E.’s embassy in Pretoria, Alhameli said. Etihad Airways has also been holding separate negotiations with SAA, he said.

“It’s company-to-company talks,” Alhameli said, according to the newspaper. “As ambassador, I’m facilitating that.”

The U.A.E. plans to invest as much as $10 billion in South Africa’s economy, a commitment made during a visit by the nation’s President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit this month.

While the U.A.E. sees potential to invest in the state-owned power utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., those discussions aren’t as advanced as the airline talks, Alhameli said. The U.A.E is aware of financing needs for SAA and Eskom and talks started before the Gulf nation announced a pledge to invest, he added.

SAA is urgently seeking a strategic equity partner as an answer to its financial problems, spokesman Tlali Tlali said July 10.

To contact the reporter on this story: Felix Njini in Johannesburg at fnjini@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, Michael Winfrey

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