The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, described South Africa as a "success story" at a signing ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the anti-apartheid struggle in Iveagh House this afternoon.
At a press briefing ahead of the signing of a declaration of intent to deepen ties between both countries, Mr Cowen said South Africa was to be complimented for the role it plays in "conflict resolution and conflict prevention in the region".
His comments come on the back of yesterday's controversy over the European Union's decision to allocate €250 million for an African peacekeeping force.
The bilateral meeting focused on the growing trade between the EU and South Africa, which has increased by 50 per cent since the introduction of the Trade Development and Co-operation Agreement in January 2000.
Mr Cowen claimed this figure is expected to increase further with the addition of the accession countries in May.
Political pariah Zimbabwe was also discussed and Mr Cowen said he had "had a good and frank exchange about this question" with his South African counterpart Minister Dlaminin Zuma.
South Africa's policy over Zimbabwe has been a source of friction between the EU and the UK recently when it objected to the imposition of economic sanctions and condemned its expulsion from the Commonwealth.
Minister Zuma told journalists that Zimbabwe's difficulties must be "resolved by Zimbabweans" and said we must be "mindful that some of the problems stem from historic injustices."