South Africa receives Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, January 23, who meets his counterpart, Minister Naledi Pandor. The Russian minister signs his return to the African continent after a tour of Egypt, Congo-Brazzaville, Uganda and Ethiopia in July. South Africa is a strong ally, because Pretoria says it is neutral in the Ukrainian conflict and refuses to talk about a Russian invasion, almost a year after the start of the war.
With our correspondent in Johannesburg, Roman Song
Serguei Lavrov and Naledi Pandor will finally be able to talk to each other face to face after having telephoned each other last August. At the end of this phone call, Russia saluted the ” Pretoria’s responsible position which refuses to turn its back on Moscow despite pressure from Westerners.
Americans have also protested against the forthcoming organization of naval military manoeuvres. In February, South Africa will host military exercises off its coasts with Russia and China. This training is not new, but it falls in full commemoration of the 1 years of the war in Ukraine. ” We encourage South Africa to cooperate militarily with democracies that share our mutual commitment to human rights “, reacted the American embassy.
South Africa speaks with everyone and there will be no shortage of topics for discussion. Serguei Lavrov and Naledi Pandor could talk about the next BRICS summit, which is to be held in August in South Africa. Pretoria holds the rotating presidency of this group of emerging countries, and hopes to strengthen economic exchanges. Russia-South Africa relations have a bright future ahead of them.
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