South African president may visit Russia for summit – media
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa may be among several heads of state present at the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg next month, Vedomosti reported on Friday.
According to two diplomatic sources cited by the Russian newspaper, having Ramaphosa as a high-ranking guest would significantly “raise the status” of the event.
The Second Russia-Africa Summit, together with the Economic and Humanitarian Forum, will be held in Russia’s second-largest city from July 26 to 29, with dozens of African representatives expected to take part.
The first such meeting, held in Sochi in 2019, was well attended by officials from all 54 African countries, 45 of which were represented by heads of state and government.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador at large and chair of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Secretariat, Oleg Ozerov, described the maiden summit as a “landmark event” and said that the upcoming gathering will strengthen Moscow’s ties with the continent.
Ozerov confirmed last week that the majority of African countries had accepted invitations to participate in the forum but did not specify how many, Vedomosti reported. St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said the city intends to work with African countries on a variety of issues affecting the continent, including “the design and construction of water supply and wastewater treatment facilities.”
Russia plans to sign agreements to cooperate on tourism with the relevant organizations in Morocco, Kenya, Namibia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Angola, according to Beglov.
South Africa has always maintained close ties with Russia, both as a BRICS member and due to Moscow’s history of support for the anti-apartheid movement. Ramaphosa was part of a diplomatic initiative with six other African states seeking to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict this month.
The African team presented a ten-point proposal to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s leader Vladimir Zelensky during a diplomatic mission in mid-June. The peace formula includes recognition of the sovereignty of both Russia and Ukraine, continued unhindered grain exports, and a de-escalation of fighting.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that talks with the Africa delegation would continue and that the plan contains some ideas that could be implemented.
