Ryabkov called data on the postponement of the BRICS summit from South Africa to China a fake

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented on reports of the postponement of the BRICS summit from South Africa to China and said that this could be a “stuffing”.

“I think that this is from the category of stuffing. I have no grounds for contacts with colleagues from South Africa, from China, in order to somehow operationalize this matter. This is not the subject that we are discussing here,” said the Deputy Minister (quote according to TASS).

Reuters, citing a government official in South Africa informedthat the republic’s authorities are considering asking for a summit in China. According to the agency, this is how South Africa wants to avoid discussions about the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

May 30 South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation guaranteed diplomatic immunity to all participants of the BRICS summit. However, such immunities “do not extend to warrants of international courts against any participant in the conference”.

The BRICS summit (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) will be held in South Africa from 22 to 24 August. At the end of March, the South African Foreign Ministry reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to the BRICS summit, despite the fact that the decision of the ICC “is some cause for concern.”

Later, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov confirmed the receipt of the invitation. He noted that Putin would make a decision on a trip to the summit “closer to the point” and stressed that Russia “in any case will actively participate” in the work of the BRICS, since he considers “this is a very important association, the relevance of which is constantly increasing.”

On March 17, the Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin and Lvova-Belova. Peskov said that the decisions of the ICC have no legal force and are void. Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that this decision would have “monstrous” consequences for international law, and added that “the practical value [в этом нет] no”. Three days after the issuance of the warrant, the IC of Russia aroused criminal case against ICC Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan and Judges Tomoko Akane, Rosario Salvatore Aytala and Sergio Gerardo Ugalde Godinez.