President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa may become a guest of honor at the Russia-Africa Summit
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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa may visit Russia during the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg on July 27-28. According to one of them, the visit of a high-ranking guest would raise the status of the event, especially if he meets with the Russian leader during the forum. Vedomosti sent a request to Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, but have not yet received a response.
Previously, Ramaphosa met with Vladimir Putin on June 17, during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The South African president was among four African leaders who came to Moscow and Kyiv on a mediation mission. The South African leader said that he agreed with Putin to discuss a peaceful settlement on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit, but did not indicate whether he himself would come to the event.
On June 28, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, after negotiations with her German counterpart Annalena Burbock, said that African countries do not abandon their peace plan for Ukraine and are ready to continue to interact with Moscow and Kiev.
Representatives of several dozen countries are expected to attend the second Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. This was stated on May 18 by Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, head of the secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum Oleg Ozerov. He refused to name the exact number of countries and the expected composition of their delegations. The first summit in 2019 was attended by representatives of all 54 African countries, 45 of which were represented by heads of state and government.
African Initiative
African countries want to achieve peace through negotiations and diplomatic means; end hostilities “as soon as possible”; achieve “de-escalation of the conflict on both sides” and respect for the sovereignty of states in accordance with the UN Charter; give security guarantees to all countries; to provide Russia and Ukraine with the movement of grain and fertilizers for needy African countries “according to the grain deal.”
Obviously, the July summit in St. Petersburg will become another platform for an unofficial discussion of the issues of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine and the collective African peace initiative, Natalia Piskunova, associate professor at the Faculty of World Politics at Moscow State University, is sure. It is important to note that the African group of mediators confidently and persistently shows its commitment to the settlement process itself, which indicates the seriousness of Africa’s intentions and its new role in modern international relations, continues Piskunova.
According to Grigory Lukyanov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, it should be taken into account that the Russian side, although it favorably reacted to the African initiative, considers a number of its points ambiguous. Nevertheless, the Russia-Africa forum itself is a good opportunity for both sides to discuss a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. The motto of the peace initiative of South Africa and other countries “African solution not only for African problems” is an interesting thesis that can become not only a stage in Russian-African relations, but also a new chapter in the restructuring of international relations, the expert concluded.
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