The French Foreign Minister begins a two-day visit to South Africa on Monday. Catherine Colonna, who hopes to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, is to meet her counterpart Naledi Pandor to discuss major international issues, including the war in Ukraine. Several African leaders, including Cyril Ramaphosa, have just carried out a mediation mission in Ukraine and Russia.
Climate, health, Africa’s place in the G20… Major global issues will be addressed during the visit, explains a French diplomatic source. Catherine Colonna will continue the discussions started with her counterpart last month, in Paris.
It will, of course, be about the war in Ukraine. The visit of the French Foreign Minister comes after a mediation mission of several African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in Ukraine and Russia. South Africa has been close to Moscow since the days of the struggle against apartheid and has abstained in votes at the UN, saying it wants to remain neutral.
This African mediation proposal will be “ discussed with the South African authorities but we do not know the content for the moment, indicates the French diplomatic source, who specifies that France supports peace initiatives that aim for a lasting peace, respectful of international law and the sovereignty of Ukraine.
Catherine Colonna will also meet French business leaders, the historian Achille Mbembé, and she will pass by a rugby stadium a few months before the World Cup in France, where the South Africans will defend their world title.