Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Angola to seek international support as U.S. “concerned” over South Africa looming war games
Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, accused the West of pressuring developing countries to align in favour of Ukraine.
Lavrov’s remarks were made in Luanda on Wednesday at another stage of his African tour openly seeking international support.
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The war in Ukraine was the central theme of talks with the Angolan authorities, who asked Lavrov for an assessment of the situation on the ground.
The head of Russian diplomacy pointed the finger at Western allies, accusing them of “transforming Ukraine into the stage of an hybrid war” against Russia.
At the United Nations, Angola initially abstained from condemning the Russian invasion.
Only in October did it vote in favour of the resolution censuring the annexation of Ukrainian territories.
Earlier this month, the Angolan president appealed to Moscow to declare “a definitive and unconditional ceasefire”.
Russia and Angola are preparing for the second bilateral summit in the history of the two countries, scheduled for April in Luanda.
U.S. “concerned” over South Africa’s looming war games with Russia
Next month, on the one-year anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, South Africa will be hosting Russian and Chinese forces for a joint naval exercise. The timing of the drills — which were apparently planned during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine — have the U.S. “concerned,” and will at the very least present South Africa with a diplomatic challenge as the world marks a year of brutal warfare with no end in sight.
The South African National Defense Force has said “Exercise Mosi II” will be held between February 17 and 27 off the country’s Indian Ocean coast, to share “operational skills and knowledge.”
South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor deflected criticism this week of the looming military drills, saying it was merely “an exercise with friends.”
Meeting with Pandor on Monday, Russia’s own veteran foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said the military drills were “transparent and that the three countries had provided all relevant information.”
Russia’s state-run TASS news agency said a Russian warship armed with new-generation hypersonic cruise weapons would take part in the exercise.
The drills have been planned for several months, so it’s “not a last-minute decision,” notes Pauline Bax, the Deputy Director for Africa at the International Crisis Group. But she adds that on the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, “diplomatically, it’s quite awkward, and something that South Africa could have pushed to another date.”
“We are concerned about South Africa’s plan to hold joint naval exercises with Russia and the PRC in February, even as Moscow continues its brutal and unlawful war of aggression against Ukraine,” David Feldmann, spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in South Africa, told CBS News in response to the remarks by the senior South African and Russian diplomats.
It is not a military alliance like NATO, but there has been talk of a possible BRICS naval exercise for years. A similar exercise between the same three nations was held in October 2019 in Cape Town.
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In a statement, the Ministry of Defense and Military Veterans said 350 South African National Defense Force personnel would participate in the drills, noting that in recent Months the SANDF has held military exercises with many other countries, including the United Kingdom, China and Nigeria, as well as last year with the U.S.
“South Africa sees Exercise Mosi II as an opportunity to contribute towards further strengthening the strong bonds that exist between South Africa, Russia and China,” the statement said.
The South African Air Force and Military Health Service, along with the Joint Operations, Defence Intelligence, Defence Foreign Relations and Military Police will join the South African National Defence Force Maritime service for the drills. An official told CBS News that a number of naval activities were planned, with a sea phase set to run for two days from February 25, which will include search and rescue, vessel in distress, gunnery, force protection and air defense exercises.
South Africa has notably abstained from previous United Nations votes on resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, opting to portray itself as a neutral party on the war despite significant pressure from Ukraine and its Western partners to take a stand.
Bax, of the International Crisis Group, said the military exercise itself appeared to be relatively unremarkable, as South Africa is a BRICS member and the three nations have held similar war games before as they explore ways to collaborate. But, she said hosting Lavrov this week, diplomatically, was “a little trickier than the navy exercises.”
“South Africa has set a different course for itself, and while it’s not choosing sides, they are showing Russia it still has friends in the world,” said Bax.
The country’s largest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, has called the exercises “silly,” with parliamentarian Kobus Marais adding: “While our government has claimed its neutral, this is just another of many incidents where the ANC [the political party in power] has clearly exposed their favouritism towards Russia.”
An opinion piece in the Daily Maverick newspaper said the exercise “highlights just how far the country has strayed from its relationships with Western allies.”
So, why would South Africa’s leaders continue courting strategic alliances with other major powers at the risk of “straying” from long-standing partners? They may simply need all the help they can get.
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