South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor received her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Pretoria on Monday.
This is Lavrov’s second visit to Africa in six months. He visited five countries, including Uganda and Egypt last July.
South Africa is among the few countries on the continent that have resisted Western pressure to condemn Russia and defended its neutral stance on the conflict in Ukraine.
Speaking on the stakes of this meeting, Naledi Pandor described Russia as a “valuable partner” of South Africa.
South Africa recently took over the chairmanship of the BRICS, which counts among its members Brazil, Russia, India, and China. This grouping aims to promote multilateralism.
“For us, multilateralism is at the heart of the biggest issues facing the world today. More efforts should be devoted to promoting peace and security, fair trade, and human rights. Eradicating hunger, preventing epidemics, combating climate change, and protecting the environment. All these issues require global cooperation, as they go beyond individual countries and cultures.” added Naledi Pandor, South African Foreign Minister.