Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
PHOTO: Russian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency/Han
- The Russian foreign minister will meet his South African counterpart on Monday.
- Sergey Lavrov and Naledi Pandor will give a joint press conference later today.
- Some South African opposition parties condemn the meeting.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in South Africa on Monday for talks with one of its most important allies on a continent that is torn apart by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and related Western attempts to isolate it.
Lavrov was scheduled to meet Foreign Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor on a trip that some opposition parties and the small Ukrainian community have called insensitive.
A ministry spokesman said Lavrov had arrived in South Africa on Monday morning. He and Pandor are expected to hold a joint press conference around noon.
The government of President Cyril Ramaphosa views South Africa as neutral in the conflict and has expressed a desire to mediate.
Pandor has repeatedly insisted that South Africa will not be drawn into taking sides and has criticized the West for its selective condemnation of Russia while ignoring other issues such as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.
Even as South Africa has proclaimed its impartiality in the conflict and abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions, it has maintained close relations with Russia, historically friendly to the ANC.
The South African National Defense Force (SANDF) will host a joint exercise with Russia and China starting on February 17, a move likely to further strain ties with Washington and European countries.
SANDF said last week that the military exercise is a “means to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia and China.”
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Russian news agency TASS reported on Monday that a Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weapons would take part in the drills.
Lavrov’s second African visit in six months comes ahead of the Russia-Africa summit, which has been postponed to July 2023 from last year due to the Ukraine conflict.
There was no official public comment from the Ukrainian embassy, but officials said the embassy asked the South African government to help push forward President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point peace plan he proposed to the G20 in November.
