By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa on the sideline of the BRICS bloc summit in the Kazan city of Russia on Tuesday, held talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin where he said he considers Moscow a “valued ally” and friend.
“We continue to see Russia as a valued ally, as a valued friend, who supported us right from the beginning: from the days of our struggle against Apartheid, right through to now,” AFP quoted Ramaphosa as telling Putin during talks.
Leaders from over 20 countries are converging in Russia for the three-day meeting, as Moscow aims to build an alliance of nations, in a move to challenge what it calls the West’s “hegemony.”
In response, Putin said Moscow’s relations with South Africa were based on “strategic partnership, equality, and mutual respect.”
“And, of course, Russia attaches particular importance to strengthening relations with the countries of the African continent,” the Russian leader added.
BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The grouping, often referred to as a counterweight to the Western-led world, had in January expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Also, Saudi Arabia, too, has been invited to join.
In its 2023 summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Putin was not physically present after the International Criminal Court, to which South Africa is a member, issued an arrest warrant on him over his offensive in Ukraine.
Heritage Times HT reports that South Africa had abstained from UN resolutions condemning Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. It instead called for an end to the conflict and spearheaded an African “peace mission” to both countries last year.
BRICS nations account for 45% of the global population. Added together, members’ economies are worth more than $28.5tn (£22tn). That’s around 28% of the global economy.
