Russia’s Foreign Minister Visits South Africa

By Staff, Agencies

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited South Africa on Monday for talks with an important ally.

He met with his South African counterpart Naledi Pandor on a trip condemned by some as insensitive. Lavrov and Pandor are expected to hold a joint news conference later on Monday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government regards South Africa as neutral in the conflict and has expressed a desire to meditate, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, Pandor has criticized the West for its selective condemnation of Russia while ignoring other issues, such as the “Israeli”-Palestinian conflict.

However, despite impartiality on the conflict – and abstention from voting on United Nations resolutions – South Africa has kept close relations with Russia. Moscow has historically been a friend of the governing African National Congress when it was a liberation movement against white minority rule.

South Africa has little trade with Russia but, like Moscow, seeks to change the perceived US-hegemony in favor of a “multipolar” world in which geopolitical power is more diffuse, Reuters reported.

Lavrov's visit comes ahead of the Russia-Africa summit, which has been postponed to July 2023 from last year due to the Ukraine conflict. Additionally, the South African military is set to host a joint military exercise with Russia and China on its east coast in February, likely to strain ties with Washington and European countries further.