The EU’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, during an official visit, tried to convince South Africa to influence Russia in the war against Ukraine, but in response he heard that it was a problem for the whole world.
Joint maneuvers between Russia and South Africa on the anniversary of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine are not the best solution, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell told a visit to South Africa on Friday, January 27. “But our preferences are not reflected in the foreign policy decisions of our partners,” he said at a press conference in Pretoria.
Regarding the position of third countries regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the European Union “respects the right of each state to pursue a foreign policy in accordance with its own interests,” Borrell asserted.
At the same time, the chief diplomat of the European Union said that “there is no doubt that Russia’s aggression is illegal from the point of view of international law” and poses a threat to the whole world, including Africa.
The EU is not calling on South Africa to choose a side in this conflict, he insisted. “We’re just asking all the countries of the world to stand up for the UN Charter, nothing more, nothing less,” Borrell said. “The European Union considers South Africa an important partner in maintaining and strengthening the rules-based international order.”
He expressed hope that South Africa would use its good relations with Russia and its role in BRICS (a group of countries that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to persuade Moscow to end the war. .
South Africa’s position
However, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said at a joint press conference that the war in Ukraine is a problem for the whole world. “Let’s work as a global community and not say, ‘South Africa, you know Russia, convince them,'” he said.
According to Pandor, countries must achieve a negotiation process between Ukraine and Russia and “a result that will take into account the interests of all parties to the conflict.”
Regarding joint maneuvers with the Russian Federation, he noted that “last year we conducted military exercises with the United States and France, and such a question was not asked.” On January 19, South African authorities announced plans to hold joint naval exercises with Russia and China off their coast from February 17 to 27. And on January 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met to Naledi Pandor.
South Africa is the only country in Africa with the status of a strategic partner of the European Union, and the main trading partner of the EU on the African continent. In 2021, the trade volume between the EU and South Africa reached a record level and reached 44 billion euros.
During his visit, Borrell announced a new program to support South Africa’s gradual transition to renewable energy sources. For this, the EU will allocate 35 million euros in grants and 1 billion euros in soft loans through the European Investment Bank.
Source: DW
The media earlier reported that a Russian ship was secretly delivering ammunition to South Africa.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.