South Africa seeking to deepen ties with Russia – foreign minister

Ronald Lamola has said upcoming talks in Moscow will focus on trade and peace in Ukraine

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola arrived in Moscow on Tuesday. His two-day visit is aimed at reinforcing strategic relations with Russia in multiple sectors, he has said.

Speaking to RT ahead of a scheduled meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Lamola said the South African delegation is in Russia to honor the legacy of anti-Apartheid figures Moses Kotane and J.B. Marks. They both died in the 1970s and were buried in Moscow.

Lamola indicated that his talks with Lavrov will focus on strengthening bilateral ties, especially in trade, agriculture, education, scientific research, and social development. He added that “Russia is one of the leading countries just like South Africa on natural resources,” and the exchange of knowledge in this context is crucial.

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Lamola noted that the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains on the agenda for the upcoming discussions, and that South Africa was among the first countries to advocate for Russia’s participation in the peace process, insisting that negotiations must include both Moscow and Kiev in order to succeed.

“We continually need to call for that dialogue where parties can come to the table and find each other to find a long-lasting solution in any conflict in the world and the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he said.

South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed in March that President Cyril Ramaphosa will meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Pretoria on April 24. 

Former African National Congress representative Tony Yengeni told RT that South Africans are firmly opposed to Zelensky’s visit to the country.