By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the African leaders seeking to broker peace in the Ukraine-Russia war are set to launch their mission “in mid-June.
Ramaphosa told a press conference alongside the visiting Portugese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa that Monday’s meeting “confirmed that we now are at a stage were we are going visit Kyiv and Moscow”.
“Our mission is a peace mission,” he said, “and we want to dub it as a road to peace.”
He said the African leaders would be “seeking to get a commitment on both sides that they too should seek… to end this conflict through peaceful means”.
The two leaders “need to outline to us their perspective of the war as well as what are their minimum requirements for bringing the conflict to an end”, he said.
“We will be able to give our own perspective as Africans in terms of how we see this war having an impact on Africa in relation to food prices, grain prices and fuel, as well as the impact it is having on Europe and the rest of the world as it has become rather global type of conflict,” Ramaphosa said.
De Sousa thanked Ramaphosa for his role in the initiative, emphasising the importance of listening “to the two parties and tell them what is the African view of a war that is not just a European war, it is a global war”.
The delegation announced by Ramaphosa last month comprises the presidents of the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia.
Ramaphosa said, his meeting with his De Sousa, is an opportunity to deepen the two countries’ collaboration on energy, which is a crucial field.
Portugal is one of the countries in Europe that has been pioneering the deployment of renewable energy.
“As we confront our own energy challenges, we are keen to discuss best practice, technology transfer and investment potential in this sector, “Ramaphosa said.
De Sousa visit comes at a time when the country’s Portuguese population is at a crossroads, buffeted by the same crime and economic issues as other South Africans and drawn to Portugal by the promise of an EU passport.
Ramaphosa told his counterpart that he has come to appreciate how interconnected the global community is, and how countries need to work together to solve common challenges like climate change, pandemics and armed conflict.
“As the countries of the world work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must step up our collaboration to address these challenges,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said in their discussions, the two Presidents will also take note of multilateral matters of mutual importance.
The relationship between Portugal and Southern Africa stretches back several centuries and has evolved into a partnership of cooperation and solidarity.
The two countries’ bilateral relationship is of strategic importance to South Africa, as they collaborate in several sectors, such as education, science and technology, trade, investment and defence.