Army chief from South Africa travels to Moscow for bilateral talks

Lawrence Mbatha, the head of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), was said to be in Moscow on Monday for a bilateral meeting where he would visit Russian military academies and have discussions with officials.

The SANDF stated in a statement that the conference in Russia was well-planned and added that South Africa had military-to-military bilateral contacts with many nations on the continent and beyond.

Monday morning, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa restated his nation’s demand for a peaceful end to the situation in Ukraine and claimed that the non-aligned approach did not favor Russia over other nations.

The statements were made by Ramaphosa in a biweekly presidential bulletin. A diplomatic dispute erupted last week after the United States claimed that weapons were carried onboard the Russian ship Lady R from a naval facility in Cape Town late last year.

Reuben Brigety, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, also claimed that senior U.S. officials had “profound concerns” about South Africa’s declared policy of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. South African officials promptly refuted these assertions.

“We reject the idea that favoring Russia over other nations is the result of our non-alignment. Additionally, we do not agree that it should jeopardize our relations with other nations, Ramaphosa stated.

He further stated that South Africa would uphold the international accords and treaties to which it is a party and that it would adhere to them in its response to the United States’ allegations of an arms shipment.

The charges made by the ambassador have not been backed up by any hard proof, according to Ramaphosa’s office, but the matter will be investigated by an inquiry headed by a retired judge.

Several ministers, including the one in charge of arms control, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, and the minister of communications have stated that South Africa had not authorized any shipments of arms to Russia in December.

Brigety was invited to meet with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on Friday, and according to a statement from the foreign ministry, he apologized “unreservedly” to the country’s government and citizens.

In a tweet that did not explicitly state that he had apologized, Brigety stated, “I was grateful for the opportunity to speak with Foreign Minister Pandor… and correct any misimpressions left by my public remarks.”

South Africa claims to be impartial and has not voted on United Nations resolutions regarding Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. However, Western nations regard it as one of Moscow’s closest allies on the continent.

Reuters